Hurricane Milton is currently designated as a Category 5, and people living on Florida's west coast are preparing for the impending arrival of the storm.
Officials have issued a hurricane and storm surge watch for the state's western Gulf Coast region, with the National Weather Service in Tampa Bay calling it a “historic storm” for the region, The Weather Channel announced. reported on monday.
The outlet continued:
If you are in an area prone to storm surges, follow the advice of local authorities and evacuate if ordered to do so. This is a serious situation, with the National Hurricane Center predicting that if the storm surge reaches its peak at high tide, storm surges of 8 to 12 feet above the ground could occur along the western Florida Gulf Coast, including the Tampa Bay area.
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The hurricane is hitting the western Gulf of Mexico, 1,120 miles southwest of Tampa. This is a strong Category 5 hurricane with wind speeds of 160 mph and moving east-southeast at 9 mph.
Meanwhile, Governor Ron DeSantis (Republican, Florida) expanded NPR reported Monday that more than 50 of Florida's 67 counties have declared a state of emergency.
The National Hurricane Center said in a social media post, shared The state's “key message” about the hurricane said heavy rain hit Florida on the Monday before the storm arrived, with more rain expected on Tuesday and Wednesday.
“This rainfall will pose a significant risk of flash flooding, urban flooding, and regional flooding, with the potential for moderate to major river flooding,” officials said.
DeSantis prepares for storm's landfall said “We are deploying trucks loaded with food and water, ambulances, Starlink, and more than 6,000 feet of flood protection systems to protect critical infrastructure in central Florida and the Tampa Bay area,” the statement said Monday. .”
“We have an additional 1.5 million gallons of fuel in stock and plan to utilize it as needed,” the governor added in a social media post.
“Local officials and contractors must continue removing debris from Hurricane Helen before Hurricane Milton makes landfall,” DeSantis continued.
“Per my executive order on Saturday, local landfills and dump sites must remain open 24/7 to safely dispose of debris from Hurricane Helen. “There's no time for that,” he concluded.
