Floridians have been told to prepare for the largest evacuation effort in the country in years as a new hurricane makes landfall in the Gulf Coast. The Gulf of Mexico is still reeling from another historic storm.
Hurricane Milton off the coast of Mexico; The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said the storm could be life-threatening when it reaches the state’s west coast by mid-week.
This comes just 10 days after Storm Helen struck the southeastern United States, the deadliest storm on the mainland since Katrina in 2005, killing at least 225 people. Hundreds of others are still missing.
At least 14 of the deaths were in Florida, where 51 of 67 counties are now on emergency warning as Milton approaches.
Milton strengthened from a tropical storm to a Category 3 hurricane and maintained wind speeds of about 125 mph (205 km/h) through Monday morning, the NHC said.
It is expected to strengthen further and become a major hurricane before making landfall around Tampa Bay on Wednesday.
Milton is then expected to continue tracking northeast, crossing the Florida Peninsula and heading into the Atlantic Ocean.
It is expected to further strengthen to a Category 4 storm as it moves along. The NHC warned of damaging wind gusts, heavy rain causing flash flooding, and storm surge from rising water moving inland from the Gulf Coast.
Rainfall totals could reach local peaks of 15 inches (38 cm), and coastal areas could see storm surges of 5 to 10 feet (1.5 to 3.5 m).
On Sunday, Floridians began preparing for the storm. In the southern part of the state, residents began filling sandbags at several distribution sites. There was a line of cars waiting in front of the gas station pump.
getty imagesThe NHC’s dire warnings were heeded by state officials.
Floridians were told by state Emergency Management Division Director Kevin Guthrie to prepare for Hurricane Irma, “the largest evacuation since 2017.” Dozens of people were killed by Irma that year.
Gov. Ron DeSantis, who issued the state’s 51 emergency alerts, said preparations were underway to restore power and clear roads, but people should expect more chaos if Milton were to be hit.
He urged Floridians to have a “preparedness plan” that warns of both mandatory and voluntary evacuations. He explained that he couldn’t predict “scenarios where we don’t have much influence.”
Many evacuations are expected in Pinellas County, where at least 12 people were killed by Helen.
Where and when Milton is expected to be hit.
The new hurricane approach comes as the U.S. government warned that the cleanup after Hurricane Helen could take years.
Hundreds of roads in affected areas remain closed, hampering efforts to deliver aid to affected communities.
It made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane in late September, damaging structures, causing flash flooding and knocking out power to millions of homes.
In addition to Florida, deaths were recorded in Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia, as well as in the hardest-hit state of North Carolina.
President Joe Biden ordered an additional 500 troops to be deployed to North Carolina. The troops, now totaling 1,500, will work with thousands of government relief workers and National Guard troops.
Biden has so far approved about $140 million (£107 million) in federal aid. The use of the money has been the target of false claims by Donald Trump, the Republican Party’s presidential candidate next month, that the relief money was spent on immigrants.
President Trump was criticized by the head of the U.S. Emergency Management Agency for providing “dangerous” misinformation.
Chandan Khanna/AFP
