Satellite images show Hurricane Milton progressing in the Gulf of Mexico, where it is expected to make landfall in Florida on October 9, 2024.
Syrah | Noah | via Reuters
Multiple tornadoes and heavy rain struck south-central Florida Wednesday afternoon as residents rushed to make last-minute preparations for Hurricane Milton. The storm continues to fluctuate in intensity as it approaches the state’s west coast and is expected to make landfall as a Category 4 hurricane, the second highest rating.
The National Hurricane Center said Monday that Milton strengthened to a Category 5 storm, but by Wednesday morning it had fallen to a Category 4 with sustained winds of up to 155 mph. The NHC said the storm would remain a hurricane as it crossed the Florida peninsula.
A storm surge warning has been issued for the west-central Florida coast, including Tampa. The NHC warning indicates “there is a risk of life-threatening flooding at specified locations over the next 36 hours due to rising water moving inland from the coastline.”
As of 2 p.m. Wednesday, the storm was about 150 miles southwest of the Tampa metropolitan area and moving northeast at about 16 mph with sustained winds of 130 mph. The hurricane is likely to make landfall late Wednesday night or early Thursday morning, according to the NHC.
Cars pass through a partially flooded street in Dunedin, Florida, ahead of Hurricane Milton’s expected landfall tonight, October 9, 2024.
Brian R. Smith | AFP | getty images
Milton strengthened rapidly as it crossed the Gulf of Mexico due to the heat of the Gulf’s surface waters. When a storm forms into a hurricane, it absorbs energy from the heat of surface water, and with 2024 set to record the warmest average global temperature on record, Milton’s ability to grow stronger in such a short period of time is “almost a part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.” “Absolutely,” said physical oceanographer Gregory Foltz.
Millions of people in 15 counties are under mandatory evacuation orders. “If we do not act immediately, lives are at grave risk. Every minute counts,” the Federal Emergency Management Agency wrote Wednesday.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said there was still time for people near the coast to evacuate inland, urging them to evacuate to one of 149 public shelters open across the state.
“The total shelter population right now is just 31,000 people. We have space in these shelters for a total population of almost 200,000 people. So we have space available in these shelters,” DeSantis said during a storm briefing Wednesday morning. He said he expects more people to head to shelters Wednesday afternoon and night.
Rown Williamson secures a gas pump at a Costco store ahead of Hurricane Milton’s arrival in Naples, Florida, on October 8, 2024.
Joe Laidl | getty images
DeSantis also said the Florida Highway Patrol facilitated an escort of 106 long-haul fuel tankers that transported nearly 1 million gallons of gasoline to Tampa and other areas.
Gas stations across the state are already running low on fuel as people try to leave the state or stock up on fuel for home generators. About 23% of the state’s 7,900 gas stations are currently without fuel, up from about 17% on Tuesday, according to data from GasBuddy.
FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell recommended Wednesday that Floridians in storm surge watch areas should attempt to evacuate, even if they are only a few miles inland. “Milton will be a deadly and catastrophic storm,” Criswell said at a press briefing.
Criswell also said he would travel to Florida on Wednesday to help with recovery efforts once the storm hits. “I want people to hear from me directly. FEMA is ready,” she said.
The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning Wednesday for most of central and southern Florida, including Miami-Dade County. The warning also includes hail up to half an inch in size and wind gusts up to 70 mph.
At 11 a.m., the NHC reported a tornado supercell across South Florida. The NWS reported a tornado along I-75 near Miami as the hurricane’s outer belt moved through the area.
Another tornado was recorded near the Everglades, a wetland area on the southern tip of the Florida peninsula.
Hasty preparations for Milton come as Floridians are still recovering from Hurricane Helen, which made landfall Sept. 26. The storm killed more than 225 people and delayed recovery efforts as the storm left communities isolated. Helene also highlighted the unpredictability of hurricanes as the storm converted to a tropical storm and devastated the still inland city of Asheville, North Carolina.
The Justice Department warned Floridians and other consumers Wednesday to beware of possible scams or price gouging schemes during and after the hurricane. Price gouging is the practice of a retailer artificially inflating prices when the retailer’s costs have not increased. Consumers are particularly vulnerable to price gouging during natural disasters such as hurricanes.
The department said people should not have to pay a fee to receive disaster relief and that only scammers would repeatedly ask someone to pay for services with a wire transfer, gift card, payment app, cryptocurrency or cash.
“Companies are paying attention,” said Manish Kumar, assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s antitrust division. “Don’t use the hurricane as an excuse to exploit people through illegal activities,” he said. “The Antitrust Division and our law enforcement partners will act quickly to root out anti-competitive conduct and use every tool available to hold wrongdoers accountable.”
“I’m calling on airlines and other companies to provide as much service as possible to accommodate evacuations and not engage in price gouging, and just do it,” President Joe Biden said at Wednesday’s hurricane briefing. water level.”
The Department of Transportation told CNBC it is already talking to airlines about cheaper flights to areas affected by the storm.
Biden said Milton could be the worst storm to hit Florida in 100 years and his administration has already deployed thousands of federal workers across the Southeast to help with recovery.
