In the early hours of Wednesday morning, residents of Florida became prepared to receive Hurricane Milton, which was described as the strongest and most violent in decades, after 3 days of preparations and evacuation steps from homes to neighboring cities.
The powerful storm, which was described as catastrophic, and is currently a Category 4 hurricane, is expected to make landfall late tonight, between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. tomorrow.
Storm warnings cover almost the entire west coast of Florida, and storm warnings are in place for much of the state, including the east coast. The coastal area between Tampa and Fort Myers could see 12 to 18 feet of inundation.
At 11:50 a.m. EST, Milton was 145 miles southwest of Tampa with sustained winds of 145 mph, moving northeast at 17 mph.
This devastating storm is heading from the west coast of Florida from the west to the east, passing through the city of Orlando and the surrounding area, and meteorologists have warned of heavy rains, and said that the city and the region are facing a “severe threat of flood rains.”
Florida Emergency Management Executive Director Kevin Guthrie said on Sunday in a press conference with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who declared a state of emergency in 51 of the state’s 67 counties, that the state’s Emergency Management Division is preparing for the largest evacuation operation since 2017.
“I can say without any hype at all, if you choose to stay in one of the evacuation zones, you will die,” Tampa Mayor Jane Castor told CNN, strongly urging residents to heed the warnings before it is too late.
Declaring a state of emergency in 51 provinces. Then evacuate residents of areas classified A and B, which are most at risk during hurricane hours.
by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis
72 hours ago from now
In the early hours of last Sunday morning, residents of some Florida cities received warning messages stating the need to prepare for a devastating hurricane expected to reach a number of counties within 3 days, followed by official notices specifying the threatened areas and ordering the forced evacuation of residents of some areas, especially those facing the coast.
The main roads witnessed unusual congestion, especially in front of wholesale stores to purchase basic goods in extreme emergency situations, whether by those displaced to neighboring cities less at risk or city residents who did not receive mandatory evacuation orders.
Tissue paper, water, and charging batteries were among the most prominent commodities that quickly disappeared from the markets. A few hours after the issuance of official government warnings, residents went to maintenance and lumber stores to buy wooden boards and sandbags to protect windows and doors from the hurricane. With the crowding and crowding, some major stores were forced to close. Hiring armed guards to protect stores.
In one of the wholesale stores, Michelle filled the shopping cart with paper napkins, baked goods, ready-to-eat and canned foods, charging batteries, and crackers. She told Al-Jazeera Net, “I have 3 children. I am trying to secure food and basic goods now. I am not very worried about floods because my house is on the fourth floor in the building, but I am afraid of a power outage.” Electricity and wind speed.
Schools have stopped operating and parents have received notices that classes will be suspended for 3 days until further notice. The latest messages from the Hillsborough District in the city of Tampa stated that schools will open their doors to students on Friday, October 11.
Through a group of applications and official websites, Tampa residents began searching for nearby shelters within their residential areas. Some of them receive animals with their owners, which is an important factor for many residents who own pets and cannot leave their homes without them, while others became full and closed their doors.
Precautions to protect life and property
Leaving their homes was an option for tens of thousands of residents over the past weekend, but displacement to neighboring cities became a nightmare by the end of last Monday, after roads were crowded and completely stopped, fuel disappeared from stations, and the full capacity of shelters was reached.
The results of an opinion poll conducted by a local group of Florida residents on the Facebook platform indicated that 1 out of every 4 residents of the cities at risk have been displaced to neighboring cities.
Starting this afternoon, electricity was cut off in a number of cities in Sarasota and Tampa, with light to moderate rain falling.
“I’m worried we won’t have a home to go back to,” says Angelina Martinez, who left her coastal home in Manti for safer Brandon.
Mercedes monitors her home, which is located in evacuation zones, remotely through home cameras, and confirms that as of this moment (noon) there is nothing to worry about, such as rain or floods.
Britney Evans, who lives in Ocala, fears that the oxygen on which her grandfather depends will run out within the next week.
While Saif Muhammad decided not to leave his house after taking the necessary precautions to protect his family and all corners of his house, the strength of the hurricane is expected to decrease during the next few hours, like previous hurricanes in recent years.
Hurricane Milton comes two weeks after the devastating Hurricane Helen, which killed at least 90 people in the states of South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee, with dozens missing, and left devastating effects on homes and infrastructure.
