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Largest Evacuation Since 2017 Commences In Florida, Hurricane Milton Rapidly Intensifies

The state of Florida has initiated what’s likely the largest evacuation since 2017’s Hurricane Irma as Milton rapidly intensifies into a major storm.

“Florida state officials, along with emergency management, have announced that they are preparing for what could be the largest evacuation since Irma in 2017, as Hurricane Milton is expected to rapidly intensify into a major hurricane. Authorities are warning that this could be a catastrophic event, urging residents to take the situation seriously,” Rawsalerts wrote.

“Major cities along Florida’s I-4 corridor are included in the forecast track for Milton, including Tampa and Orlando,” FOX Weather reports.

“Florida emergency management officials say the storm will likely lead to evacuations on a scale not seen in Florida since 2017 for Hurricane Irma,” the outlet added.

Per FOX Weather:

Hurricane Milton is forecast to remain a major hurricane before making landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast this week.

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Now, Florida emergency management officials are preparing for large-scale evacuations across the Sunshine State not seen in seven years. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has declared a State of Emergency for 51 of the state’s 67 counties.

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is forecasting Milton to make landfall near or south of the Tampa metro as a major hurricane (Category 3 or higher). The latest track shows Milton barreling over Florida’s highly populated Interstate 4 corridor and Interstate 75, which includes Tampa, Orlando, Fort Myers and Sarasota.

“There is an increasing risk of life-threatening storm surge and damaging winds for portions of the west coast of the Florida Peninsula beginning Tuesday night or early Wednesday,” the NHC said.

Milton intensified into a Category 4 hurricane on Monday.

“I-4 and I-75 are backed up from people trying to evacuate due to Hurricane Milton. I don’t want to hear in the aftermath. ‘Why didn’t they leave?’ People are trying to. You don’t want to get stuck on the interstate during a hurricane,” one X user wrote.

Some have predicated Milton could strengthen into a Category 5 hurricane.

From Interesting Engineering:

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As of 7 p.m. EDT on Sunday, Hurricane Milton was located about 780 miles (1,255 km) west-southwest of Tampa, moving eastward at 7 mph (11 kph). It currently has maximum sustained winds of 85 mph (140 km/h), making it a Category 1 storm on the Saffir-Simpson scale.

However, forecasters predict the storm will intensify further, potentially reaching Category 4 before landfall.

The NHC has issued hurricane watches for Mexico’s northern Yucatan Peninsula, and private forecasting company AccuWeather expects Milton could bring catastrophic flooding and widespread destruction to Florida.

If Milton reaches Category 4 as expected, its winds could exceed 130 mph (210 km/h), significantly raising the risk of severe storm surges, flooding, and widespread power outages.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis emphasized the potential for more destruction than Helene, especially in areas already littered with debris. “If you get hit with a major hurricane, what’s going to happen to that debris? It’s going to increase the damage dramatically,” DeSantis stated.

He noted that cleanup operations are already in progress for Helene, but Milton could compound the devastation.

In preparation, Florida’s western coast is seeing widespread evacuations. Pinellas County, home to St. Petersburg, is expected to issue mandatory evacuation orders for over 500,000 residents in low-lying areas on Monday.

Sheriff Bob Gualtieri, speaking at a press conference, urged residents to take evacuation orders seriously, citing the tragic loss of 12 lives in the county due to Helene. “We cannot afford to repeat that mistake,” he warned, stressing the importance of quick and decisive action.

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“Hurricane Milton has strengthened into a major hurricane and is expected to make landfall on the west coast of Florida as soon as Wednesday evening. @FLSERT is addressing more than 600 resource requests from communities in the storm’s path. We are deploying truckloads of food and water, ambulances, Starlinks, and more than 2,000 feet of flood protection systems to protect critical infrastructure in Central Florida and the Tampa Bay area. We are also amassing an additional 1.5 million gallons of fuel reserves and staging them to be utilized as needed,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said.

“Local officials and their vendors must continue clearing debris from Hurricane Helene, before Hurricane Milton makes landfall. The state of Florida has marshaled unprecedented resources to help with debris removal. The Division of Emergency Management, Florida Department of Transportation, Florida National Guard, Florida State Guard, and the Florida Highway Patrol have been activated and deployed to aid in this mission. Nearly 9,000 cubic yards have been removed from the barrier islands of Pinellas County, and the work will continue for as long as it’s safe to do so,” he continued.

“As per my Executive Order on Saturday, local landfill and dump sites must remain open 24/7 to safely dispose of debris from Hurricane Helene. We have no time for bureaucracy and red tape,” he added.

DeSantis provided this update on Hurricane Milton:

This is a Guest Post from our friends over at 100 Percent Fed Up.

View the original article here.


 

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