The Florida Gulf Coast is preparing for the impact of the winds of Hurricane Milton, which lost strength early Tuesday and became a Category 4, although according to meteorologists it continued to pose “an extremely serious threat to Florida.”
Nearly the entire west coast of Florida was under hurricane warning early Tuesday, as the storm and its 155 mph (250 kph) winds moved toward the state at 9 mph (14 kph) over warm waters. of the Gulf of Mexico. The most powerful hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic is Allen, which in 1980 reached 306 km/h (190 mph) as it passed through the Caribbean and the Gulf, before hitting Texas and Mexico.
The storm had intensified rapidly on Monday, becoming a Category 5 hurricane by midday with maximum sustained winds of 285 km/hour (180 mph). The impact of the winds and expected storm surge could cause further devastation in areas still recovering from the damage caused by Helene 12 days ago and the chaos wreaked by Ian two years ago.
Its vortex could make landfall on Wednesday in the Tampa Bay area, which has not been directly hit by a major hurricane in more than a century.
Scientists expect the system to weaken slightly before its arrival, although it could maintain hurricane status as it moves across central Florida toward the Atlantic Ocean. According to the forecast, it would avoid other states hit by Helene, which caused at least 230 deaths on its way from Florida to the Appalachians.
The last time Tampa Bay was hit directly by a meteor of this caliber was in 1921, and authorities fear that the fate of the region and its 3.3 million residents is about to end. United States President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration for Florida and Kathy Castor, a representative in the House of Representatives, said that 7,000 federal workers were mobilized to help in one of the largest devices in history.
“This Milton thing is serious,” Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said at a news conference Monday. “If you want to take on Mother Nature, she will win 100% of the time.”
The Tampa Bay area continues to recover from Helene and its powerful storm surge: a wall of water up to 8 feet (2.4 meters) high that was created when its vortex was still 100 miles (160 km) from the coast. coast. Twelve people died there and the worst damage was reported in the island chain between St. Petersburg and Clearwater.
The forecast indicated that Milton could generate a storm surge of between 2.4 and 3.4 meters (8 to 12 feet), prompting evacuation orders for Gulf coastal communities. In Florida, this means that anyone left behind must fend for themselves and that rescuers are not expected to put themselves in harm’s way to assist them at the height of the storm.
Stragglers were a problem during Helene and Ian in 2022. Many residents did not heed warnings, saying that when they left in previous storms, high surge warnings failed to materialize. But on Monday there were signs that people were leaving before Milton arrived.
A steady stream of vehicles headed north toward Florida’s northwest panhandle on Interstate 75, the main highway in the western peninsula, as residents followed evacuation orders. Traffic was backed up in the southbound lanes of the highway for miles as other residents headed toward the relative safety of Fort Lauderdale and Miami, on the other side of the state.
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