TAMPA, Fla. — Hurricane Milton weakened slightly Tuesday but remained a ferocious storm that could land a once-in-a-century direct hit on the populous Tampa Bay region with towering storm surges and turn debris from Helene’s devastation 12 days ago into projectiles.
Almost the entirety of Florida’s west coast was under a hurricane or tropical storm warning as the storm and its 145 mph (230 kph) winds spun just off Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula, creeping toward the state and sucking energy from the Gulf of Mexico’s warm waters. With the storm expected to remain fairly strong as it crosses Florida, parts of the eastern coast were put under hurricane warnings early Tuesday, as well.
Milton’s center could come ashore Wednesday night in the Tampa Bay area, which has a population of more than 3.3 million people. The county that’s home to Tampa ordered evacuations for areas adjacent to the bay and for all mobile and manufactured homes by Tuesday night.
“You do not have to get on the interstate and go far away,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a Tuesday morning news briefing, assuring residents there would be enough gas to fuel their cars for the trip. “You can evacuate tens of miles; you do not have to evacuate hundreds of miles away. You do have options.”
In Riverview, several drivers waiting in a long line for gas Tuesday morning said they have no plans to evacuate.
“I think we’ll just hang, you know – tough it out,” said Martin Oakes, of Apollo Beach. “We got shutters up; the house is all ready. So this is sort of the last piece of the puzzle.”
Ralph Douglas, of Ruskin, said he, too, will stay put, in part because he worries he would run out of gas trying to return after the storm or get blocked by debris.
Preparing for a hurricane
Jaime Hernandez, the emergency management director for Hollywood, on Florida’s Atlantic Coast, says his team encourages people to do three key things: make a plan, have an emergency kit and stay informed.
Preparing for a hurricane also includes getting supplies in advance, including nonperishable foods and water in case power is lost and supplies are low in the community. Preparedness also includes ensuring all medical items and medications are ready in case people are unable to leave their homes.
Emergency kit necessities
The rule of thumb is to have 1 gallon (3.8 liters) of water per day per person for about seven days, Hernandez says. It’s also a good idea to have cash on hand since ATMs may not be working.
Evacuating ahead of a storm
Officials advise residents listen to their local emergency management officials, who will have the most updated information about evacuation zones.
These excerpts were originally published on July 2, 2024, in Hurricane season 2024 is here. Here’s how to stay prepared.
“Where I’m at right now, I don’t think I need to evacuate,” he said.
DeSantis said the state has been scrambling to remove debris from recent Hurricane Helene, lest the messes become projectiles when Milton strikes. The state has deployed over 300 dump trucks that are working around the clock and have removed 1,200 loads of debris, he said.
After dawn Tuesday, trash trucks trundled up a nearly deserted street in normally bustling Indian Rocks Beach to gather mounds of debris. Sheriff’s deputies used a loudspeaker to urge anyone left to escape as soon as possible.
The National Hurricane Center downgraded Milton early Tuesday to a Category 4 hurricane, but forecasters said it still posed “ an extremely serious threat to Florida.” Milton had intensified quickly Monday, becoming a Category 5 storm before being downgraded.
Forecasters warned the sea could surge as high as 15 feet at Tampa Bay, leading to evacuation orders for beach communities all along the coast. In Florida, that means anyone who stays is on their own and first responders are not expected to risk their lives to rescue them at the height of the storm.
DeSantis said the state has helped evacuate over 200 health care facilities in Milton’s path, and more than 30 county-run shelters are open.
Milton is forecast to remain a dangerous hurricane through landfall and as it crosses central Florida toward the Atlantic Ocean with rainfall totals as high as 18 inches (20 centimeters) possible, according to the hurricane center. That path would largely spare other states ravaged by Helene, which killed at least 230 people on its path from Florida to the Appalachian Mountains.
