Hurricane Milton: Florida residents prepare for Category Five stormHurricane Milton is barrelling towards Florida’s west coast, threatening catastrophic damage, despite millions being told to evacuate.
Some defiant locals are choosing to stay put, facing dire warnings from officials including one who warned people planning to stay: “you’re gonna die.”
Tampa Bay, with a population exceeding 3.3 million, braces for potential havoc, having dodged direct hits from major hurricanes for over 100 years. The National Hurricane Center has forecasted that Milton, which reached a terrifying Category 5, will likely remain a significant hurricane upon its expected landfall late Wednesday.
As of early Wednesday, Milton was roughly 360 miles southwest of Tampa, with winds of 160 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.
A view of Hurricane Milton from space (
Hurricane Central)
Forecasters anticipate the storm maintaining its hurricane status as it traverses central Florida on Thursday, heading eastward to the Atlantic. However, the exact trajectory of the hurricane is still up in the air, with Tuesday evening predictions shifting the path slightly south of Tampa.
In anticipation of Milton’s arrival, thousands have jammed Florida’s highways trying to escape, but the window for evacuation is closing fast on Wednesday. Tampa’s Mayor Jane Castor highlighted the severity of the situation, pointing out that the predicted storm surge of up to 15 feet could engulf entire homes.
A statue of the Greek god Poseidon is seen near the pier as strong waves caused by Hurricane Milton on the coast of Puerto Progeso, Yucatan State, Mexico (
AFP via Getty Images)
“So if you’re in it, basically that’s the coffin that you’re in,” Castor grimly remarked. Milton is bearing down on communities still struggling to recover two weeks after Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc in western Florida, leaving at least 230 people dead in its wake across the South.
In Punta Gorda, a coastal town roughly 100 miles south of Tampa, residents were confronted with 5-foot high mounds of ruined possessions on Tuesday, remnants from the flood-damaged homes.
Despite many abandoned residences, Scott Joiner, an accountant and art enthusiast, has chosen to stay in his New Orleans-style abode, which he erected 17 years prior. During Helene’s onslaught, bull sharks were spotted navigating the inundated streets, and one of Joiner’s neighbours had to be saved by canoe.
People purchase plywood at a Home Depot store to secure a building before the arrival of Hurricane Milton (
Getty Images)
“Water is a blessing to have,” he remarked, “but it is very deadly.” Undeterred by the impending threat, Joiner is preparing to face Milton head-on. With Milton on the approach, officials have enacted compulsory evacuation directives across 11 counties in Florida, impacting around 5.9 million individuals based on data from the US Census Bureau.
Authorities have cautioned that those who choose to remain are on their own, as emergency services will not jeopardize their safety conducting rescues during the storm’s peak.
