Florida will be hit by Hurricane Milton in less than 24 hours, putting millions of people in an “extremely life-threatening situation.”
Residents of Florida may still be finishing up storm preparations or leaving places that are at risk, but time is running out. Fast-moving winds and heavy rain are being carried by the Category 5 storm as it moves toward the Florida Peninsula.
John Cangialosi, a specialist at the National Hurricane Center, said in a report released Tuesday that Milton “has the potential to be one of the most destructive hurricanes on record for west-central Florida.”
A story from the Jacksonville Florida Times-Union, which is part of the USA TODAY network, says that all but 16 of Florida’s 67 counties are in a state of emergency.
There are still many places in the Southeast, including Florida, that are still getting back on their feet after Hurricane Helene hit less than two weeks ago. But people in Florida were told that following orders to leave at this point is a matter of life and death.
“I can say without any dramatization what I just said: If you choose to stay in one of those evacuation areas, you’re going to die,” Mayor Jane Castor of Tampa told CNN.
Millions of people in Florida and businesses in the area have closed down, gathered goods, evacuated, and set up shelters in preparation for Hurricane Milton’s arrival on Wednesday night.
And if Hurricane Milton is anything like Hurricane Helene, there will almost certainly be floods, trees that fall over, and power outages.
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