Edited by maklukpenggoda at 11-10-2024 12:22 PM
Update:
TAMPA – Hurricane Milton is forecast to remain a major hurricane before making landfall on Florida's Gulf Coast this week.
Now, Florida emergency management officials are executing large-scale evacuations across the Sunshine State not seen in seven years.
Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for 51 of Florida's 67 counties, and more than 200 ambulances are on standby.
The Florida National Guard has mobilized 5,000 troops to assist with the response, with an additional 3,000 expected to be deployed before the storm makes landfall.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) forecasts 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.
The storm surge forecast for Tampa Bay is between 10 and 15 feet if the peak surge coincides with high tide. Wind gusts could reach up to 100 mph.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told FOX Weather that many residents are "erring on the side of caution" with Milton.
Some of the homes that made it through Idalia without a scratch, with Helene, with that storm surge, they were obliterated. They were just studs, concrete and studs. So don't mess with that."
Florida Division of Emergency Management Executive Director Kevin Guthrie encouraged residents and visitors to heed the warning if told to leave.
"I urge Floridians to finalize your storm preparations now; enact your plan. I highly encourage you to evacuate," Guthrie said.
"We are preparing, and I have the State Emergency Response Team preparing, for the largest evacuation that we have seen most likely since 2017 Hurricane Irma."
Yahoo News
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