While still dealing with the effects of Hurricane Helene, Florida prepares for Milton’s arrivala new hurricane that intensified to a Category 2 storm before making landfall on the Gulf of Mexico coast.
The state is still counting damage from Helene, which hit the Big Bend region as a Category 4 hurricane on September 26, killing at least 232 people across the Southeast and leaving more than 500 miles of destruction caused by flooding and catastrophic winds .
According to what the National Hurricane Center announced, Milton is expected to move to Category 3 or higher today, with winds of 120 mph. It is expected to hit between Cedar Key and Naples, including the Tampa area, around mid-week.
For Miami, Orlando and Tampa, 5 to 20 centimeters of rain is expected through Thursday. Some areas of the state could receive more than 15 inches of rain, according to the hurricane center. “Milton will be a historic storm for the west coast of Florida,” the National Weather Service in Tampa Bay said in a briefing this morning.
Evacuation warnings
Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for 51 counties and warned Floridians to prepare for more power outages, make sure they have a week’s worth of food and water and be ready to hit the road. DeSantis explained that while exactly where Milton will hit the ground is not yet clear, Florida will be hit hard.
Authorities issued mandatory evacuation orders for parts of Pasco County and Anna Maria Island near Tampa starting today, while other locations asked residents to evacuate. The evacuations also include residents living in mobile homes, in low-lying and flood-prone areas.
Authorities said that in addition to Milton’s storm surge, debris from Helene will make it difficult for rescuers to reach people in need over the next two days.
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