Florida’s storm-hit Gulf Coast was battling a Category 5 hurricane on Monday. Highways were clogged with people fleeing ahead of the storm as workers sprinted to pick up piles of appliances and other roadside debris left behind by Helen two weeks ago.
The center of Hurricane Milton could make landfall Wednesday in the Tampa Bay region, which has not endured a direct hit from a major hurricane in more than 100 years. Scientists expect the system to weaken slightly before making landfall, although it may maintain hurricane strength as it circles central Florida toward the Atlantic Ocean. That would largely spare other states hit by Helen, which killed at least 230 people on its way from Florida to the Carolinas.
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This is the real deal with Milton, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said at a news conference. If you want to fight Mother Nature, Mother Nature will win 100% of the time.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Monday it was essential that Helen’s debris be removed before Milton’s arrival to prevent it from becoming a projectile.
As evacuation orders were issued, forecasters warned that storm surge of 8 to 12 feet (2.4 to 3.6 meters) could occur in Tampa Bay. This is the highest level ever predicted for the region and nearly double the level reached during Helen two weeks ago, said Maria Torres, a spokeswoman for the National Hurricane Center.
Storms can also cause widespread flooding. Mainland Florida and the Keys are expected to see 5 to 10 inches (13 to 25 centimeters) of rain, with some areas expected to see as much as 15 inches (38 centimeters).
The Tampa metropolitan area has a population of more than 3.3 million people.
It’s a huge population. Kerry Emanuel, a professor of meteorology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said this is very at risk, very immature, and this is a doomed proposition. I always thought Tampa was the city to worry about the most.
Much of Florida’s west coast was under hurricane and storm surge warnings. A hurricane warning was also issued for parts of Mexico’s Yucatan state, where skidding was expected.
Milton rapidly strengthened in the eastern Gulf of Mexico on Monday. The National Hurricane Center said maximum sustained winds were 180 miles per hour (285 kilometers per hour). By late afternoon, the storm’s center was about 675 miles (1,085 km) southwest of Tampa, moving east-southeast at 10 mph (17 kph).
The Tampa Bay area is still recovering from Helen and its strong surge. Twelve people died there, with the worst damage occurring along a chain of barrier islands from St. Petersburg to Clearwater.
More than 300 vehicles collected debris in a race to remove Helen’s wreckage on Sunday, but encountered locked landfill gates as they tried to unload it. State troopers used rope tied to the pickup truck to destroy it, DeSantis said.
Even if a hurricane is predicted to weaken, that doesn’t necessarily mean you can rely on it, DeSantis said.
“Whatever happens will cause great damage,” the governor said.
Missiles are coming.”
Lifeguards in Pinellas County, on the peninsula that forms Tampa Bay, removed beach chairs and other items that could be blown away by strong winds. Elsewhere, stoves, chairs, refrigerators and kitchen tables were piled up awaiting collection.
Sara Steslicki, who lives in Bellaire Beach, said she’s frustrated that more debris wasn’t collected sooner.
Steslicki said Monday that they messed up and didn’t pick up the debris, and now they’re scrambling to get it back. If this hits, a missile will come flying at you. Objects float in the air and fly away.
Hillsborough County, home to Tampa, ordered the evacuation of areas adjacent to Tampa Bay and all mobile and manufactured homes by Tuesday evening.
President Joe Biden has approved a state of emergency declaration for Florida, and U.S. Representative Kathy Castor said 7,000 federal workers have been requested to help in one of the largest mobilizations of federal personnel in history.
hesitate to evacuate
Milton’s approach evoked memories of Hurricane Irma in 2017. At the time, about 7 million people were evacuated from Florida, and highways were clogged and gas stations were backed up. Some of those who evacuated vowed never to evacuate again.
By Monday morning, some gas stations in the Fort Myers and Tampa areas were already running out of gas. Fuel continues to arrive in Florida, where the state has accumulated hundreds of thousands of gallons of gasoline and diesel fuel, and more is on the way, DeSantis said.
As residents followed evacuation orders, a steady stream of vehicles headed north toward the Florida Panhandle on Interstate 75, the main road on the west side of the peninsula. The southbound lanes of the freeway were backed up for miles as other residents headed to the relative safety of Fort Lauderdale and Miami on the other side of the state.
All road tolls have been suspended in Midwest Florida. Motorists were allowed to use the left shoulder of northbound Interstate 75 and eastbound Interstate 4 to evacuate.
Even though Tanya Marnchak’s Bellaire Beach home was flooded with more than 4 feet (1.2 meters) from Helen, she and her husband were unsure whether to evacuate. She wanted to leave the house, but her husband thought the three-story house was strong enough to withstand Milton.
We lost our car and all our furniture. Marchak said the first floor was completely destroyed. This is the strangest weather situation ever.
Why did Milton intensify so quickly?
Milton’s wind speed increased by 92 mph (148 kph) in 24 hours, second only to Hurricane Wilma in 2005 and Hurricane Felix in 2007. One of the reasons Milton has become so strong so quickly is because of his Wilma-like tiny pinhole eyes, Colorado announced. University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach.
Klotzbach said the storm is likely to undergo a so-called “eyewall replacement cycle,” a natural process in which a new eye forms and wind speeds weaken while the storm grows in size. That’s what it means.
Kristen Corbosiero, a hurricane scientist at the University at Albany, said that because the Gulf of Mexico is unusually warm right now, the fuel was just there and Milton likely pushed the goose further across the extremely warm eddy. Ta.
The last Category 5 hurricane to make landfall in the continental United States was Michael in 2018.
Widespread cancellations in Florida and Mexico
As the storm approached, schools in Pinellas County, where St. Petersburg is located, were being converted into evacuation centers. Tampa city officials have made city garages available to residents who want to protect their cars from flooding.
Airports in Tampa, St. Petersburg and Orlando were scheduled to close. Walt Disney World has announced that it will continue to operate as usual for the time being.
In Mexico, Yucatán Governor Joaquin Daz ordered the suspension of all non-essential activities except grocery stores, hospitals, pharmacies and gas stations starting Monday, and Mexican authorities announced plans to evacuate residents from the coastal city of Progreso. I arranged a bus.
It’s been 20 years since so many storms crisscrossed Florida in such a short period of time. In 2004, an unprecedented five storms hit Florida within six weeks, including three hurricanes that hit central Florida.
Other parts of Florida’s Gulf Coast are still recovering from the storm. The Fort Myers area in southwest Florida is still recovering from Hurricane Ian, which caused US$112 billion in damage in 2022. In just 13 months, three hurricanes, including Helen, have struck the Big Bend area of Florida.
Just 100 feet from the water on Fort Myers Beach, Don Girard was preparing a three-story home for Milton. Their homes were flooded by Helen two weeks ago and Debbie in August. Two years ago, waves from Hurricane Ian crashed into the second floor.
It was difficult. I’m not going to lie, Girard said. The last few years have been pretty bad.
(Only the headline and photo in this report may have been reworked by Business Standard staff. The rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
