Crews remove debris from the streets – generated by Hurricane Helene – ahead of the landfall of Hurricane Milton, on Anna Maria Island, Florida, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024.
(Rebecca Blackwell/AP)
BELLEAIR BEACH, Florida, USA —
Many Floridians left the Tampa Bay region Tuesday ahead of what could be a direct hit from Hurricane Milton, as crews worked to prevent soggy furniture, appliances and other debris left behind by the latest storm. storm in the state become deadly projectiles.
Such preparations represented the last chance for millions of people in the Tampa metropolitan area to prepare for deadly storm surges, fierce winds and possible tornadoes in a location that for generations has avoided a direct hit from a Category 3 or larger storm.
Cars line up to enter a parking lot to get gas at a Costco store, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, in Altamonte Springs, Fla., in preparation for the landfall of Hurricane Milton.
(Joe Burbank/AP)
“Today is the only day to prepare,” said Craig Fugate, former director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), who previously led the state’s emergency operations division. “This brings everything.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the state deployed more than 300 trucks that by Tuesday afternoon had removed 1,300 piles of debris left behind by Hurricane Helene recently.
In Clearwater Beach, Nick Szabo spent a second day picking up piles of wet mattresses and couches, as well as drywall, after being hired by a local resident eager to help clear the paths and unwilling to wait for overwhelmed construction contractors. city.
Contractors help remove debris left behind by Hurricane Helene in New Port Richey, Florida, ahead of the landfall of Hurricane Milton, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024.
(Mike Carlson/AP)
“All this garbage is going to become missiles,” he commented. “It’s like a spear coming towards you.”
After weakening slightly early Tuesday, Milton regained strength in the afternoon and became a Category 5 storm again, with winds of 165 miles per hour (265 kilometers per hour).
Jesús Hernández with his granddaughter Angelina in a flooded street after the passage of Hurricane Helene in Batabano, Mayabeque province, Cuba, on September 26, 2024.
(Ramon Espinosa/AP)
It could make landfall Wednesday night in the Tampa Bay metropolitan area, which has a population of more than 3.3 million people.
The 11 Florida counties that are under mandatory evacuation orders have about 5.9 million residents, according to Census Bureau estimates.
Jay McCoy covers the windows of his business with wood in anticipation of the landfall of Hurricane Milton, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, in New Port Richey, Florida.
(Mike Carlson/AP)
Customers load cases of water at Costco, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, in Altamonte Springs, Florida, as they prepare for the imminent impact of Hurricane Milton.
(Joe Burbank/AP)
