MIAMI (AP) — Authorities warned Florida residents Sunday that Tropical Storm Milton, currently hovering off the coast of Mexico, could become a dangerous hurricane and hit the Gulf Coast.
The eye of Tropical Storm Milton was about 860 miles (1,385 kilometers) west-southwest of Tampa, Florida, on Sunday morning, turning east at 5 miles per hour (7 kilometers per hour) and with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph (95 kph), the National Hurricane Center in Miami said.
“Milton is moving slowly but is set to strengthen quickly,” the center said. “There is a belief that a powerful hurricane that could threaten human lives will affect parts of the western coast of Florida by the middle of this week.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Sunday that while it is not known where Milton will hit, it is clear that Florida will be affected.
“I don’t think there is any scenario in which we do not have a significant impact, at this time,” declared the governor.
He added: “They have time to prepare: all day today, all day Monday, probably all day Tuesday, to make sure their hurricane preparedness plans are ready. Find out your evacuation zone. “There will be voluntary and non-voluntary evacuations.”
DeSantis said up to 4,000 National Guard troops are helping the Florida Division of Emergency Management and the Florida Department of Transportation clear debris, and he declared a state of emergency in 35 counties as a precaution. He said residents of the state should prepare for more power outages and other disruptions.
“All available state resources … are being used to help clear debris,” the governor said. “We will work 24 hours a day… it is a task for the entire team.”
The administrator of the Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Deanne Criswell, defended her agency’s actions after Hurricane Helene, in the face of falsehoods propagated by Republicans and amplified by former President Donald Trump, which created a wave of misinformation in the devastated communities.
“This kind of rhetoric doesn’t help people and it’s unfortunate that there are people who are putting politics above helping the community,” Criswell told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos. The falsehoods have created fear and mistrust among residents toward the thousands of FEMA employees and volunteers throughout the Southeast, he said.
Despite this, Criswell said, the agency is already preparing for Milton, even though it is not known where the meteor will hit this week on the Florida peninsula.
“We are working with the state there to find out what their needs are, so we can meet them before the storm hits,” Criswell said.
The weather center said Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, the Florida Peninsula, the Florida Keys and the northwestern Bahamas should monitor the storm. Heavy rain is expected Sunday before the storm arrives, and that rain will likely combine with rain from Milton to flood bodies of water and streets in Florida, where forecasters predicted up to 1 foot (30 centimeters) of rain in some areas. from now until Wednesday.
“There is an increasing risk of high water and strong winds for parts of Florida’s west coast starting Tuesday or Wednesday. Residents in these areas should ensure that they have their hurricane plan ready, should follow the instructions of local authorities and should be alert for forecast updates,” the center said.
The Atlantic hurricane season has intensified as rescue teams continue searching for people missing in the southeastern United States after Hurricane Helene, which left a trail of death and destruction from Florida to the Appalachian Mountains .
Hurricane Kirk, meanwhile, was downgraded to a Category 2 hurricane in the Atlantic, packing maximum sustained winds of 165 kph (105 mph) and causing storm surge and dangerous conditions from Bermuda to the U.S. and Canadian coasts, the center said. . Hurricane Leslie was also moving northwest across the Atlantic, with maximum sustained winds of 140 kph (85 mph) but not threatening land.
