TAMPA: Hurricane Milton, a catastrophic Category 5 storm, bore down on Florida’s coast on Wednesday, as US officials urged residents to urgently evacuate or face fatal consequences.
US President Joe Biden and local leaders emphasized the severity of the storm, with Biden calling it “the worst natural disaster to hit the state in a century.”
Milton, the second major hurricane to threaten Florida in two weeks, is expected to make landfall late Wednesday night. As of Wednesday morning, the storm was located 300 miles (485 km) southwest of Tampa, packing maximum sustained winds of 160 mph (260 kph), according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).
The NHC warned that the storm would remain an “extremely dangerous major hurricane” upon reaching Florida’s west-central coast.
Tampa Mayor Jane Castor told CNN, “If you choose to stay in one of those evacuation areas, you are going to die.”
Governor Ron DeSantis said that “basically the entire peninsula portion of Florida” is under some form of storm warning or evacuation order. Residents rushed to prepare, boarding up homes and fleeing to safer areas, with highways clogged and gas stations running out of fuel.
The hurricane is forecast to generate life-threatening storm surges, particularly in the Tampa Bay area, which is home to three million people. Experts warn that Milton’s surge could be twice as severe as the flooding caused by Hurricane Helene just two weeks ago.
Biden has postponed a planned trip to Germany and Angola to oversee the federal response. The disaster management efforts have taken on political dimensions as the US gears up for the November 5 presidential election.
Former President Donald Trump criticized the federal response to Hurricane Helene, which killed at least 230 people and devastated parts of Florida and the southeastern US last month. Trump falsely claimed that disaster funds were being diverted to assist migrants, a claim Biden called “un-American.”
Vice President Kamala Harris also slammed Trump’s remarks, asking, “Have you no empathy, man, for the suffering of other people? Have you no sense of purpose if you purport to be a leader?”
Residents across Florida rushed to protect their homes from Milton’s potentially devastating impact. In Tampa, long lines formed at local distribution points as people picked up sandbags.
However, some, like John Gomez, 75, who drove from Chicago to protect his second home in Florida, ignored evacuation orders. Others, like Katie, a St. Petersburg resident, heeded the warnings and evacuated to Orlando with her son and dog, determined not to take any chances after her home was flooded by Helene.
Scientists have emphasized the link between climate change and the intensification of hurricanes. A report by the World Weather Attribution group revealed that Hurricane Helene’s torrential rain and powerful winds were about 10 percent stronger due to global warming, with storms of this magnitude becoming more frequent.
Milton’s imminent arrival comes as emergency workers continue to grapple with the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, which caused widespread devastation across several southeastern states.
