MIAMI — Authorities warned Florida residents on Sunday that Hurricane Milton could gain strength and hit the Gulf Coast by mid-week.
Milton quickly became a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico and is approaching Florida, the National Hurricane Center in Miami reported Sunday.
Milton was 1,310 kilometers (815 miles) west-southwest of Tampa, Florida, with maximum sustained winds of 130 kilometers per hour (80 miles per hour), the center said.
Earlier, authorities on Sunday warned Florida residents that Milton could become a dangerous hurricane and hit the Gulf Coast.
“There is a belief that a powerful hurricane with the potential to endanger lives will impact portions of the west coast of Florida by the middle of this week,” hurricane specialist Eric Blake said Sunday morning.
While forecasts vary widely, Milton’s most likely track suggests it could make landfall on Wednesday just north of Tampa Bay and remain a hurricane as it moves through central Florida toward the Atlantic Ocean, generally sparing to other southeastern states hit by Hurricane Helene, which left a trail of destruction from Florida to the Appalachians and a death toll that reached 230 on Sunday.
The St. Petersburg-Tampa Bay area is still clearing debris and repairing damage caused by Storm Helene. Twelve people died in the storm and the worst damage was in Pinellas County, in the narrow 20-mile (32-kilometer) stretch from St. Petersburg to Clearwater.
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,” the governor declared.
He added: “You have time to prepare: all day today, all day Monday, probably all day Tuesday, to make sure your hurricane preparedness plans are ready. Find out your evacuation zone. There will be voluntary evacuations and not voluntary.
“If you are on the west coast of Florida, on nearby islands, assume that you will be asked to evacuate,” he added.
DeSantis on Sunday expanded his state of emergency declaration to 51 counties, saying Floridians should prepare for more power outages and other disruptions, and should make sure they have enough water and food for a week and are able to leave. by land.
“I highly recommend that you evacuate” if you are in an evacuation zone, said Kevin Guthrie, executive director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management. “We are preparing … for the largest evacuation we have seen probably since Hurricane Irma in 2017.”
The state has prepared fuel supplies and charging stations for electric vehicles and “has identified every possible location that could accommodate people on those roads,” Guthrie said.
Those who live in homes built after Florida strengthened its building standards in 2004, those who do not depend on a constant supply of electricity and those who are not in evacuation zones should probably avoid those roads, he added.
All school activities have been preemptively suspended in St. Petersburg’s Pinellas County, Monday through Wednesday, and the city of Tampa opened parking lots to the public so people can move their cars to safe heights.
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. 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’re working with the state there to find out what their needs are, so we can meet them before the storm hits,” Criswell said.
Federal disaster assistance has surpassed $137 million since Helene arrived more than a week ago, one of the largest mobilizations of personnel and resources in recent history, FEMA said Sunday.
Nearly 7,000 employees from all federal agencies have been deployed, and the agency has shipped more than 14.9 million meals, more than 13.9 million liters of water, 157 generators and more than 505,000 tarps, and has approved more than $30 million dollars in housing and other types of assistance for more than 27,000 families.
More than 800 people unable to return to their homes are being housed through a FEMA assistance program, and while the number of shelters decreases, 22 shelters continue to house nearly 1,000 people while food continues to be distributed to survivors. The response to Helene will continue through Milton and its aftermath, FEMA said, ensuring it has the capacity to manage multiple disasters at once.
“My administration is sparing no resources to support families as they begin their efforts to rebuild,” said President Joe Biden. “We will continue to work hand in hand with local and state leaders, regardless of their political affiliation and no matter how long it takes.”
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 the west coast of Florida starting Tuesday or Wednesday. Residents in those areas should make sure they have their hurricane plan ready and should follow the instructions of local authorities and should be alert to 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.
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