BELLEAIR BEACH, Florida, USA —
Many Floridians left the Tampa Bay region Tuesday ahead of what could be a direct hit from Hurricane Milton, as crews worked to prevent soggy furniture, appliances and other debris left behind by the latest storm. storm in the state become deadly projectiles.
Such preparations represented the last chance for millions of people in the Tampa metropolitan area to prepare for deadly storm surges, fierce winds and possible tornadoes in a location that for generations has avoided a direct hit from a Category 3 or larger storm.
“Today is the only day to prepare,” said Craig Fugate, former director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), who previously led the state’s emergency operations division. “This brings everything.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the state deployed more than 300 trucks that by Tuesday afternoon had removed 1,300 piles of debris left behind by Hurricane Helene recently.
In Clearwater Beach, Nick Szabo spent a second day picking up piles of wet mattresses and couches, as well as drywall, after being hired by a local resident eager to help clear the paths and unwilling to wait for overwhelmed construction contractors. city.
“All this garbage is going to become missiles,” he commented. “It’s like a spear coming towards you.”
After weakening slightly early Tuesday, Milton regained strength in the afternoon and became a Category 5 storm again, with winds of 165 miles per hour (265 kilometers per hour).
It could make landfall Wednesday night in the Tampa Bay metropolitan area, which has a population of more than 3.3 million people.
The 11 Florida counties that are under mandatory evacuation orders have about 5.9 million residents, according to Census Bureau estimates.