Florida Braces for Direct Hit From Hurricane Milton

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.—Millions of people along Florida’s Gulf Coast are bracing for Hurricane Milton, a historically powerful storm that is expected to make landfall as soon as Wednesday evening and wallop a region still reeling from Hurricane Helene.

The Category 4 storm had maximum sustained winds of 130 miles an hour and was 150 miles southwest of Tampa, Fla., according to the National Hurricane Center’s 11 a.m. ET update. Milton is expected to hit the west coast of Florida late Wednesday or early Thursday, battering it with hurricane-force winds, life-threatening storm surge and heavy rain.

The National Weather Service said Wednesday afternoon that it is time to shelter in place. “Unless a life-threatening situation arises, stay indoors and follow updates,” the NWS said.

Since rapidly strengthening on Monday, Milton’s intensity has wavered between a Category 4 and a Category 5. It is forecast to maintain hurricane strength as it crosses the Florida peninsula, the hurricane center said.

Milton will likely compound the damage from Helene, which left a path of death and destruction across several states after striking Florida as a Category 4 storm less than two weeks ago. Some areas are still littered with debris that could become projectiles once Milton arrives.

Tampa Bay is bracing for the possibility of a direct hit. It would be the first time a major hurricane has struck the region since 1921. The area, which is densely populated, fast-growing and has seen booming development on low-lying ground, is one of the most vulnerable in the U.S. to coastal flooding.

More than three million people live in the Tampa Bay metropolitan area, which includes the cities of Tampa, Clearwater and St. Petersburg. Some evacuees faced heavy traffic and encountered gas stations without fuel as they attempted to escape the storm.

Tornadoes have been reported throughout South Florida Wednesday. The National Weather Service in Tampa issued a tornado watch until 8 p.m.

Cathie Perkins, the director of emergency management for Pinellas County, where Clearwater and St. Petersburg are located, begged residents to evacuate immediately.

“You’re not just talking about the threat of drowning. We’re talking about buildings, homes being wiped off of their foundations. That is unsurvivable,” Perkins said Wednesday.

“For those of you that were punched by Hurricane Helene, this is going to be a knockout,” she said.

Storm surge, heavy wind, life-threatening flooding

Tampa Bay and its coastal neighbors could receive up to 12 feet of storm surge, the hurricane center said. Heavy rainfall is also expected in the central and northern portions of the peninsula, with some areas expected to receive as much as 18 inches, the hurricane center said, warning that life-threatening flooding was possible.

Mandatory evacuation orders have been issued in almost every county on the western side of the peninsula, and local officials have urged residents to leave as quickly as possible.

Florida Department of Transportation officials closed two major bridges in the Tampa Bay area that provide access to St. Petersburg—the Sunshine Skyway Bridge and the Howard Frankland Bridge—and closed westbound traffic on two others.

About 24% of the state’s gas stations had run out of fuel on Wednesday afternoon, according to GasBuddy. In the Tampa and St. Petersburg area, 62% lacked fuel, GasBuddy said.

The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles said Tuesday that troopers were working around the clock to escort fuel trucks to gas stations.

While some stations have run out of fuel and demand remains extraordinarily high, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Wednesday there isn’t a shortage at the moment. Florida has fuel reserves of 1.6 million gallons of diesel and 1.1 million gallons of gasoline, he said.

L.L. Kirchner , her husband and their dog were among the thousands of residents who joined a slow snake of taillights leaving St. Petersburg on Monday. It took the couple seven hours to reach a hotel in Gainesville, 150 miles away.

“Having seen how close the surge came with Helene, we know it will breach our house if it’s 5 feet higher,” said Kirchner, who lives in a 1920s home a short walk from Tampa Bay.

Back-to-back hurricanes

The forecasts are especially precarious for those living in areas still recovering from Hurricane Helene. That hurricane dumped more than 6 feet of storm surge along Tampa Bay’s coastline. Milton is poised to bring double that amount to the same area.

In St. Petersburg, piles of waterlogged furniture and tree limbs still line many streets. Florida officials said they have been working to clear debris from Helene to avoid it becoming projectiles in Milton’s wind.

Many businesses in St. Petersburg were closed Wednesday, with plywood covering storefronts. Residents hurried to pick up last-minute supplies from the few stores still open.

St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch warned residents that water, sewer and electric service could be offline for an extended period. “We are expecting extensive damage to our infrastructure, including widespread power outages that may not be restored for days or for weeks,” Welch said Wednesday.

Andrew Burkhart , 45, who works in health insurance, said his St. Petersburg home flooded during Helene for the first time since it was built in 1969—and now could face even worse damage from Milton.

Helene filled the one-story ranch with 6 inches of water, totaled his 2021 Dodge Ram and damaged his pool. Burkhart had cleaned out the house, moving out everything salvageable in anticipation of extensive repairs.

“It was probably one of the most exhausting weeks I’ve ever had,” he said.

Florida hunkers down

Tourist attractions such as Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, Tampa’s Busch Gardens and Orlando’s SeaWorld said they would close temporarily. The Florida Aquarium, in Tampa, said it had moved several animals to a safer place.

Tampa International Airport, St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport and Orlando International Airport said they would close temporarily. More than 1,900 flights within, into or out of the U.S. were canceled Wednesday, according to FlightAware, with another 2,100 flights scratched on Thursday. .

Several schools, including the University of South Florida and the University of Tampa, have closed temporarily.

Laura Keane, who lives in a 1920s bungalow in St. Petersburg’s Old Northeast neighborhood, broke her index finger Tuesday trying to move furniture indoors. Her boyfriend had to help her finish installing her storm shutters.

Keane lives with her two cats. She is not under a mandatory evacuation order, and has never evacuated for a hurricane—but she said this storm has her worried.

“As long as my roof holds, I think I’ll be ok,” she said.

Federal officials prepare

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has more than 1,000 people on the ground in Florida responding to Hurricane Helene and ready to respond to Milton as it approaches, as well as an additional 1,200 staff preparing for search and rescue operations, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said in a call with reporters on Wednesday.

President Biden conferred with federal officials at the White House to coordinate ahead of Milton’s landfall and urged the public to take the storm seriously and follow local evacuation orders.

“It’s looking like the storm of the century,” Biden said Wednesday during a briefing on the hurricane.

Biden decried the dissemination of “disinformation and outright lies,” which he said was undermining confidence in the response to Milton and Helene. He specifically called out former President Donald Trump, whom he said “has led the onslaught of lies.”

Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump’s opponent in November’s election, joined the call remotely from New York. Harris said the administration would crack down on any attempts at price gouging by individuals or companies attempting to profit from the storm.

Criswell told Biden her biggest concern right now was “making sure people have gotten out of harms’ way” before the storm makes landfall.

“People need to take this storm seriously,” Criswell said, saying the storm looked like it could be more dangerous than previous hurricanes. “This one is different.”