The west coast of the US state of Florida is facing the greatest hurricane threat in over 100 years: Less than two weeks after the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene, the people of the US state of Florida have to prepare for another severe storm.
More than 15 million Florida residents are at risk from Hurricane Milton, which has wind speeds of up to 257 km/h, meteorologists warned on Monday. Milton is heading for Tampa and St. Petersburg and could produce a life-threatening storm surge of up to 3.6 meters, as the New York Post writes.
The authorities have therefore ordered large evacuation zones. Those who resist the evacuation are asked to write their names and personal information on their arms with a permanent marker so that their bodies could be identified.
Milton began Monday as a Category 2 hurricane before being upgraded to a Category 5 hurricane three times in just over two hours, according to the National Hurricane Center. It is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, likely in the heavily populated Tampa Bay region.
“I’ll just say it – everyone just needs to get out,” warned Sheriff Bob Gualtieri of Pinellas County, which includes Clearwater and St. Petersburg. «This is going to be bad. You don’t need to know anything more.”
The head of Florida’s emergency management agency said they are preparing for the largest evacuation since Hurricane Irma in 2017. At that time, seven million residents were asked to leave their homes. As a lesson from the experience with “Irma” and other storms, the state will this time provide emergency gasoline and charging stations for electric vehicles along evacuation routes.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis also stated that although it was not yet certain where Milton would make landfall, it was clear that the state would be hit hard: “You still have time to prepare… make sure your hurricane emergency plan is ready.” The governor declared a state of emergency for 51 counties in the state on Sunday and said residents should prepare for widespread power outages and disruptions.
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