Milton downgraded to Category 3 hurricane
Hurricane Milton was downgraded to a Category 3 storm with winds of 195 mph as it approached Florida Wednesday afternoon, but forecasters warned it remained a serious threat.
The storm has fluctuated in strength and strengthened to a Category 5 hurricane on Tuesday. The National Hurricane Center said Milton would be a large and extremely dangerous storm if it makes landfall there late Wednesday.
Authorities are urging and pleading with residents to evacuate inland, warning they will die if they remain.
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Updated to 16.35 EDT
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Hello, this blog is now closed. However, you can find all the latest information on Cecilia Nowell’s new blog. She’ll give you updates as Hurricane Milton makes landfall. Follow us here:
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As Hurricane Milton approaches landfall, environmentalists are raising concerns that the storm could scatter hazardous waste across Florida. More than 1 billion tons of slightly radioactive phosphogypsum (leftover waste from fertilizer production) is stored in the state near phosphate mines and fertilizer processing plants in the state’s center. Nearly all of the waste is within Milton’s projected path and could contaminate nearby water supplies, according to the Associated Press.
“Locating a vulnerable site so close to a major waterway at risk of storm damage is a recipe for disaster,” said Ragan, staff attorney at the environmental group Center for Biological Diversity. Whitlock says. “This is a ticking time bomb.”
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Updated to 19.15 EDT
Pinellas County, Florida, is advising unevacuated residents to shelter in place as Hurricane Milton approaches the area with wind gusts exceeding 80 mph.
Wind speeds could exceed 115 mph in the next few hours, the county said. Pinellas County is located just west of Tampa and is home to more than 960,000 people. “It’s time to weather the storm,” the county said online.
“First responders are staying off the road. Get to a safe location and remain there until emergency officials tell you the threat has passed and it is safe to leave.”
Further south, Manatee County announced it had suspended emergency services due to dangerous conditions. The county says emergency calls will be responded to as soon as it is safe to do so.
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Updated to 18.58 EDT
Sian Kane
Taylor Swift has donated $5 million to relief efforts to help those affected by Hurricanes Helen and Milton.
The nonprofit organization Feeding America, one of the nation’s largest disaster relief organizations, released a statement Wednesday acknowledging the singer’s “generous donation.”
“This donation will support the rebuilding and recovery of local communities and provide essential food supplies to those affected by these devastating storms,” said Claire Babineau Fontenot, CEO of Feeding America. , clean water and supplies.” “Together, we can make a huge impact in supporting families through the challenges ahead. Taylor, stand with us in the movement to end hunger and support communities in need.” Thank you for doing that.”
Swift has a history of making charitable donations. He donated $1 million to natural disaster relief after storms hit Tennessee last year, sent $100,000 to the family of a woman killed in February’s Super Bowl parade and donated to U.S. food banks. England and Australia during the Eras tour.
Feeding America has already deployed more than 140 truckloads of food, water, and supplies to 11 food banks in the Carolinas, Georgia, Florida, and Tennessee since Hurricane Helen struck in September. He said there was.
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Updated to 18.59 EDT
National Weather Service chief says storm surge is ‘scaring to death’
NWS Director Ken Graham said hours before Hurricane Milton was expected to make landfall in Florida, the storm surge already seen in the state was extremely concerning.
“My biggest concern, Jake, is that some of the water levels are already starting to rise,” Graham said in an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper. “I’m scared to death of some of these storm surge levels. The values are absolutely dangerous and deadly.”
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Updated to 18.47 EDT
The National Hurricane Center said in an update Wednesday afternoon that the west-central coast of the Florida peninsula is expected to experience a devastating storm surge with more than 10 feet of flooding, damaging waves and damaging hurricane force winds. Announced.
As of Wednesday afternoon, winds in Milton were gusting 190 mph and rapidly approaching the peninsula’s coastline, said Michael Brennan, the center’s director.
“This is life-threatening flooding. That water will be driven violently onto dry land by the winds associated with Milton making landfall tonight,” Mr Brennan said.
Brennan said water levels are starting to rise, winds are picking up and rain is falling. “If you have not already done so, please move to a safe location.”
As many as 2 million people in Florida have been ordered to evacuate, and millions more are on Milton’s predicted path. Authorities are warning people they will die if they don’t leave.
Sandra Tapfumanei, Sarasota County’s emergency management director, said people remaining on the county’s barrier islands south of Tampa were unlikely to survive the storm surge. “If you choose to stay, be sure to have a life preserver on hand,” she told CNN.
Meanwhile, the threat of strong tornadoes is expected to continue into the evening in south and central Florida.
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Joe Biden called on Floridians to seek safer shelter and urged local officials to seek shelter as Hurricane Milton is set to make landfall in the state in the coming hours and cause “incredible” destruction. He called on people to listen to their opinions.
The president said in remarks Wednesday afternoon that he has been in touch with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and that Fema administrators will be in the state this evening.
“This is still expected to be one of the most destructive hurricanes to hit Florida in 100 years,” Biden said.
Biden also criticized Donald Trump’s misinformation about federal aid for hurricane victims and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s “bizarre” claims that the federal government controls the weather. did.
“Frankly, these lies are un-American and there is no place for them,” the president said.
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Updated to 18.29 EDT
As communities across the Southeast continue to grapple with the effects of late last month’s Hurricane Milton, federal officials are dedicating significant resources to the response to Hurricane Milton and ongoing recovery support from Hurricane Helen.
The Biden administration said in a statement Wednesday that more than 8,000 federal employees are stationed in the Southeast, including Florida. There are more than 1,500 active-duty military personnel on the ground in western North Carolina, assisting with search and rescue operations and road clearing.
Fema has deployed more than 1,000 search and rescue personnel and disaster survivor support teams to affected states, and more than $344 million in assistance has been provided to Helen survivors.
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Updated to 17.42 EDT
Florida resident Robert Haight described his experience during a tornado that “took the entire roof off” of his home on Wednesday.
Haight, who lives in Fort Myers, Florida, was inside his home with his family when the tornado struck.
“I saw the tornado coming, so I called my wife. It started hitting the trees, so we all started going to the hallway, but we couldn’t even get there in time,” he said. told AccuWeather. “I heard the sound of shards of glass breaking and the whole roof was blown away. I felt the sound suck me in and I crouched down holding my children and wife.”
At least seven tornadoes had struck Florida by Wednesday afternoon, the National Weather Service reported. Hurricanes and tropical cyclones can produce tornadoes.
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Updated to 17.20 EDT
The Weather Channel provided a harrowing simulation of what devastating storm surge could be like on Florida’s west coast during Hurricane Milton.
“At 3 feet above normally dry ground, the water is already life-threatening. It’s too late to evacuate,” Weather Channel meteorologist Stephanie Abrams said. “You can get stuck in water this high, your car can float, and you can’t drive.”
Water levels are expected to rise further, he added. “At 6 feet, which is more than most people’s height, vehicles start to get swept away and structures start to fail,” Abrams said. “What’s scary is that some areas could see surge values at 10 to 15 feet high.”
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Updated at 17.00 EDT
