Tropical Storm Milton could hit Florida as a major hurricane during the week – National
People across Florida were warned Sunday that Milton, currently a tropical storm off the coast of Mexico, could quickly strengthen into a major hurricane before making landfall on the devastated Gulf Coast during the week.
Tropical Storm Milton’s center was about 860 miles (1,385 kilometers) west-west of Tampa, Florida, early Sunday, moving east at five mph (seven kph) with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph (95 kph ), the National Hurricane Center in Miami. said.
“Milton is moving slowly but it is expected to strengthen quickly,” said the center. “There is growing hope that a severe, life-threatening hurricane will be affecting parts of the west coast of Florida by the middle of this week.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Sunday that while it remains to be seen where Milton will strike, it’s clear that Florida will be hit hard – “I don’t think there’s a situation where we don’t have a big impact on this point.”
“You have time to prepare – all day today, all day Monday, almost all day Tuesday to make sure your hurricane preparedness plan is in place,” the governor said. “Know your exit – there will be mandatory and voluntary exits.”
DeSantis said up to 4,000 troops are helping the Florida Division of Emergency Management and the Florida Department of Transportation to remove debris, and he has declared a state of emergency in 35 counties before Milton. He said Floridians should prepare for power outages and disruptions.
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“All of the state’s existing assets … are being mobilized to help clear the debris,” DeSantis said. “We’ll be going 24-7 … everything is top notch.”
FEMA Director Deanne Criswell defended her agency’s response to the devastation of Hurricane Helene after false claims by Republicans, fueled by former President Donald Trump, created a frenzy of misinformation throughout devastated communities.
“This kind of rhetoric doesn’t help people and it’s a shame that we’re putting politics before helping people,” Criswell told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos. It has created fear and distrust among citizens against the thousands of FEMA workers and volunteers in the southeast, he said.
Besides this, Criswell said that the organization is already preparing for Milton, before it is clear where it will go on the Florida peninsula this week. “We are working with the government there to understand what their needs will be, so we can have them before they arrive,” he said.
The hurricane center said Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, the Florida Peninsula, the Florida Keys and the northwestern Bahamas should watch for the system’s progress. Heavy rain was expected Sunday ahead of the storm itself, and it will likely combine with Milton’s rain to flood waterways and roads in Florida, with forecasters saying up to 30 feet of rain could fall in places Wednesday night.
“There is an increased risk of life-threatening storm surge and wind impacts along parts of the west coast of the Florida Peninsula beginning late Tuesday or Wednesday. Residents in these areas should make sure they have their storm plan in place, follow any advice given by local officials, and check for updates on this forecast,” the agency said.
The Atlantic hurricane season has become more active as rescuers in the US Southeast continue to search for unidentified people in the wake of Hurricane Helene, which left a trail of death and destruction from Florida to the Appalachian Mountains.
Hurricane Kirk was downgraded to a Category 2 storm in the open Atlantic at first, with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph (165 kph), sending heavy swells and “life-threatening current conditions” to Bermuda and north along the US and Canadian coasts, the agency said. Hurricane Leslie was also moving northwest over the open Atlantic, with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph (140 kph) but no threat to land.
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