The Epoch Times By T.J. Muscaro
TAMPA—Florida is bracing for what could be its biggest evacuation in seven years, as Hurricane Milton strengthens and heads toward major population centers including Tampa and Orlando.
Milton is expected to make landfall Wednesday on the Gulf Coast of Florida as a Category 3 hurricane and remain a hurricane as it moves across central Florida into the Atlantic Ocean. That would largely spare other southeastern states ravaged by Hurricane Helene, which caused catastrophic damage from Florida into the Appalachian Mountains and a death toll that rose on Sunday to at least 230 people.
Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, the Florida Peninsula, the Florida Keys, and the northwestern Bahamas should monitor the system’s progress, the hurricane center said. Heavy rainfall was expected Sunday ahead of the hurricane and likely will then combine with Milton’s rainfall to flood waterways and streets in Florida, where forecasters said up to a foot of rain could fall in places through Wednesday night.
Florida’s Gov. Ron DeSantis said earlier on Sunday that the state is preparing for the storm and that the top priority is round-the-clock debris cleanup from Hurricane Helene, which hit only 10 days ago.
Storm Surge and Hurricane Watches will likely be issued for portions of Florida early Monday.
When DeSantis gave his briefing, the tracks predicted landfall on Madeira Beach in Pinellas County, and he warned that, along with the intense winds, storm surge damage could exceed that of Helene.
“Most of the Big Bend is uninhabited,” he said. “When you’re talking about Tampa Bay, and you talk about what even 10 feet of storm surge would do in an area that has, I mean, the Greater Tampa Bay Area has millions of people.
“That is just a level of damage, I think, that would far exceed the damage that was done in the Big Bend.”
DeSantis and Kevin Guthrie, executive director of Florida’s Division of Emergency Management, announced plans underway to stage resources in the Tampa Bay area. They said they are prepared for the possibility of Tampa Bay landfall and a storm track that runs along the I-4 corridor across the state, causing debris, significant power outages, and infrastructure damage…
READ FULL ARTICLE HERE…(theepochtimes.com)
Home | Caravan to Midnight (zutalk.com)
