The US state of Florida was making urgent preparations on Tuesday for Hurricane Milton, as officials warned of potentially catastrophic damage to its western coast and the mayor of Tampa told residents they would die if they stayed behind.
The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Milton had strengthened to a category 5 hurricane with sustained winds of 165mph (270km/h) as it moved through the Gulf of Mexico towards Florida’s coast.
At 7 pm Central Daylight Time, the eye of the storm was 440 miles (710km) southwest of Tampa, moving east-north-east at 10mph. The NHC warned the hurricane was expected to expand in size as it approached Florida after passing the Mexican city of Mérida.
More than one million people were under evacuation orders as Governor Ron DeSantis warned residents intending to leave that time was running out. “If you’re going to get out, get out now,” he said at a Tuesday press conference.
US President Joe Biden cancelled a planned overseas trip and approved Florida’s request for a federal emergency declaration. The situation has become politically charged, with tensions apparent between DeSantis and Vice-President Kamala Harris over storm response coordination.
Local officials expressed concerns about traffic congestion and fuel shortages, with nearly one-fifth of Florida’s petrol stations running dry by Tuesday afternoon, according to tracking website GasBuddy.
The Tampa Bay region, home to more than 3 million people and particularly vulnerable to storm surges due to its shallow seabed, has not experienced a direct hit from a major hurricane since 1921. Tampa Mayor Jane Castor warned residents who chose to stay behind that they were “going to die”.
The storm follows Hurricane Helene, which caused over 200 deaths in late September. Concerns have been raised about building debris from Helene potentially becoming projectiles in Milton’s powerful winds.
Climate experts attribute the high frequency of powerful storms to global warming, though Governor DeSantis, who is known for his scepticism of climate action, focused on immediate preparation measures, advising residents to secure a week’s worth of food and water.
This video shows the view from inside a plane flying through Hurricane Milton.
— Sky News (@SkyNews) October 9, 2024
Objects went flying inside the aircraft, as the research plane flew through winds of up to 180mph.
Read more: https://t.co/wvBpLJIEBY pic.twitter.com/BaYNCvlKtI
