With debris still uncollected from the destructive and deadly Hurricane Helene that has left at least 230 dead in the southeastern United States., Florida prepares for the largest evacuation since 2017, due to the threat of Miltonwhich is also expected to reach the central-west Florida coast as a major category cyclone. Milton, a hurricane that has strengthened “explosively,” is now a category 5, the largest on the Saffir-Simpson scale.
The hurricane, which presents maximum sustained winds of 280 kilometers per hourwill cross almost all of Florida from west to east starting next Wednesday, according to the United States National Hurricane Center (NHC).
this monday President Joe Biden approved the “emergency declaration” in Florida which authorizes federal agencies to coordinate all disaster relief efforts.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis recalled that 51 of Florida’s 67 counties had already been declared under emergency before Milton’s arrival and stressed that it is expected to make landfall in the Tampa Bay area on Wednesday night.
DeSantis stated that The government is deploying trucks full of food and water, ambulances and flood protection systems to protect critical infrastructure in Central Florida.
“We are also accumulating an additional 1.5 million gallons of fuel reserves and preparing them to be used as needed,” he detailed.
Largest evacuation since Irma
This Monday, DeSantis urged communities to heed evacuation calls, also warning ofthe double risk of Milton’s arrival and a large amount of debris left by Helene, which has not yet been collected.
“I have the State Emergency Response Team preparing for the largest evacuation we have seen probably since Hurricane Irma in 2017,” warned Kevin Guthrie, executive director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management.
The evacuations of millions of people are expected to cause highway congestion and queues at gas stations.
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The week for Floridians thus began with these preparations by residents who are still trying to recover from Helene, the preparation of sandbags to try to avoid the damage caused by flooding, the movement of electric service vehicles to be attentive to restoring the blackouts and even preparing animal shelters.
Milton is expected to make landfall as a category 3 hurricane this Wednesday, thirteen days after Helene, a level 4, did so on September 26 in the region known as Big Bend.
The greatest threat is to the Tampa Bay area on the west coast, with strong winds and storm surge, but other areas on Florida’s east coast, such as the most populated Miami-Dade and Broward counties, face and to flood dangers associated with prolonged rains caused by the same system.
Danger in Tampa metropolitan area
The hurricane has put Florida’s Gulf Coast on alert from Chokoloskee (Collier County) north to the mouth of the Suwanee River (Dixie County), including Tampa Bay and the Dry Tortugas, according to the National Weather Service.
In that large area there is “an increasing risk” of storm surge and destructive winds starting Tuesday night or early Wednesday, according to the NHC, which urged its residents to pay attention to evacuation orders from local authorities.
This storm surge can reach about 8 to 12 feet in Tampa Bay.
Additionally, Florida’s Lake Okeechobee was also under a hurricane watch.
Even before Milton approaches Florida, heavy rains and flooding are expected in urban areas that will worsen with the overflowing of rivers, the NHC detailed.
The NHC, based in Miami, reported that the storm is 1,130 kilometers (700 miles) southwest of Tampa, Florida, and about 170 kilometers (105 miles) west of Progreso, Mexico.
According to NHC meteorologists, Milton is moving east-southeast at about 15 kilometers per hour.