Hurricane of the Century Heading for Florida: Milton to Bring 5-Foot Storm Surge, Flooding
Category 5 Hurricane Milton is expected to double in size by the time it makes landfall in the United States late on Oct. 9 or early on Oct. 10. It will bring a storm surge of 4,5 feet (XNUMX meters) along a low-lying stretch of the Florida coast that includes Tampa, St. Petersburg and Sarasota, writes The Guardian.
Described as the "storm of the century" with sustained winds reaching 257 mph (8 km/h), Milton turned northeast about 9 miles (480 km) southwest of Tampa overnight Oct. 4-209, targeting densely populated and highly vulnerable communities. It is expected to weaken to a Category XNUMX storm with sustained winds of about XNUMX mph (XNUMX km/h) as it makes landfall.
But a Category 4 is a very powerful storm, capable of destroying homes with the force of the wind alone, and Milton also brings rain and flooding.
Watch this video about the destruction that different categories of hurricanes cause, and you'll understand the power of Milton and the threat it poses to Floridians.
"Milton has the potential to be one of the most destructive hurricanes in west-central Florida history," the National Hurricane Center warned.
In an 8 a.m. update on Oct. 9, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said it was unclear where exactly the center of the storm would make landfall, but the impacts would be "wider... absolutely every location on the west coast of Florida could see significant storm surge."
DeSantis later said 8000 National Guard members would be activated and discussed Florida's needs with Joe Biden.
“The administration approved everything we asked for,” he confirmed.
"If you're in a one-story house and a 15-foot storm surge hits you, the water's going to come in instantly and you've got nowhere to go," Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said. "So if you stay in the house, it's basically a coffin."
Dean Criswell, director of the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), said at a news conference that she would travel to Florida and deploy more agency staff to the state: "I want people to hear this from me personally: FEMA is ready."
Authorities issued mandatory evacuation orders for 11 Florida counties with a combined population of about 5,9 million people and said anyone who chooses to stay will have to fend for themselves.
Before Helen struck, the remaining residents were asked to write their name and Social Security number on their bodies to facilitate posthumous identification.
Current forecasts call for the wave to hit Fort Myers Beach, an area still recovering from Hurricane Ian.
The same area was battered by Hurricane Helene two weeks ago, raising concerns that discarded furniture, appliances and trash could become extremely hazardous when Milton hits and kicks them up into the air. DeSantis noted that the state has deployed more than 300 dump trucks to haul away 1300 loads of trash.
One resident said he saw bull sharks swimming in flooded streets after Helen. (Bull sharks can live in both salt and fresh water and are extremely dangerous to humans. – Approx. Ed.)
Regardless of where Milton makes landfall, damage is expected to be extensive as seawater rises inland through coastal channels. Cody Fritz of the National Hurricane Center's storm surge team told NBC News, "The west coast of Florida is very sensitive to storm surge."
Geologist Kara Doran stressed that the risk of permanent shoreline change "cannot be overstated, as coastal communities are more vulnerable to the impacts of this storm due to the erosion that has recently occurred due to Helen."
On the subject: Powerful Hurricane Milton Heads for Florida: How to Prepare for the Storm and What to Stock Up on
Residents trying to leave have faced gas shortages and clogged roads. There are few hotels to stay in and no flights out of the area. Ashley Kreis, a resident of Holiday, a city near the coast, told NBC, “It feels really, really scary, but there’s no way to leave.”
Mark Prompakdi, 71, a resident of a trailer park near St. Petersburg, plans to ride out the storm in a minivan parked on high ground near a high school.
"They say, like, get out of here. But where?" he asked rhetorically.
However, many people seem to have heeded the warnings.
"Efforts to protect property with sandbags and boarded up windows were undertaken with the knowledge that this could be the most powerful storm many in the area have ever seen, and they've seen a lot," concluded NBC reporter Jay Gray.
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The National Weather Service warned that as Milton began moving toward landfall on Oct. 9, "conditions will be favorable for tornado development, even far from expected landfall."
With airports in the area now closed, operators have said they will not reopen until the damage is assessed. A Tampa International Airport spokesman told Scripps News that safety is critical to their operations and the airport cannot serve as a refuge for stranded travelers because it is in an evacuation zone.
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