More than 1 million people have been ordered to evacuate along Florida’s Gulf Coast as Hurricane Milton rages.

Hurricane Milton was expected to intensify as its strength increased on Tuesday as the Category 4 hurricane passed over Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula on its way to the Gulf Coast, Florida, where more than 1 million people were ordered to evacuate before the storm hit.

Florida’s populous west coast, still reeling from Hurricane Helene two weeks ago, is headed for landfall on Wednesday.

The US National Hurricane Center said the storm was likely to make landfall near the city of Tampa Bay, where some of the three million residents rushed to clear the mounds of debris left behind by Helene before heeding evacuation orders. If the storm drives right through the city, it will mark the first time since 1921 that this has happened.

US President Joe Biden on Tuesday urged those ordered to “get out now,” saying it was a matter of life and death.

“This could be the worst hurricane to hit Florida in over a century, and, God willing, it won’t be, but it looks that way right now,” Biden said.

Biden added that he has approved pre-fall emergency declarations in Florida and is asking airlines to accommodate evacuees and not participate in fare reductions.

The White House said Biden is canceling a planned trip later this week to Germany and Africa in light of Hurricane Helene and expected damage from Milton.

The citizens of Tampa may be wrong

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday that the state would activate 8,000 National Guard members and arrange for cargo and cargo to be trucked near the area where the storm is expected to make landfall.

“Now is the time to make your plan … but that time is running out,” he said during a news conference, urging residents to heed warnings from forecasters and evacuation orders.

With maximum sustained winds of 250 km/h, Milton was downgraded from a Category 5 to a Category 4 hurricane on the five-point Saffir-Simpson scale, according to the US National Hurricane Center’s latest advisory on Tuesday.

Although Floridians are no strangers to hurricanes, Tampa hasn’t been in the direct path of a major hurricane in over a century.

During that time, the area has exploded in growth. Tens of thousands of Americans have moved to the area during the COVID-19 crisis, many choosing to live on barrier islands like Clearwater and St.

More than 51,000 people moved to the area between 2022 and 2023, making it the fifth fastest growing area of ​​the US, according to US Census data.

Longtime residents, after experiencing numerous false alarms and near misses like Irma in 2017, may be similarly unprepared for a direct hit. Local legend says that the blessings of the Native Americans who once called this region home and built mounds to ward off invaders have protected the area from major storms for centuries.

MIT meteorology professor Kerry Emanuel said the storm in Tampa is a “black swan” and the worst-case scenario experts have worried about for years.

Heavy damage is expected

Although more volatility is expected, Milton is forecast to remain the most dangerous hurricane to make landfall in Florida, according to the hurricane center. That means major damage will occur, including power outages that are expected to last for days.

The hurricane center is predicting 3 to 4.5 feet of wind along the north and south coasts of Tampa Bay.

Fed by warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico, Milton became the third fastest-growing hurricane in Atlantic Ocean history, as it went from a tropical storm to a Category 5 hurricane – the strongest category – in less than 24 hours.

Its path from west to east was also very unusual, as Gulf hurricanes often originate in the Caribbean Sea and make landfall after traveling west and turning north.

“It’s very rare for a hurricane to be in the western Gulf, move eastward, and make landfall on the west coast of Florida,” said Jonathan Lin, an atmospheric scientist at Cornell University. “This has a big impact as the track of the storm plays a role in determining where the storm will be strongest.”

Milton is expected to grow in size before landfall on Wednesday, putting hundreds of miles of coastline in the hurricane’s danger zone, said Jamie Rhome, deputy director of the National Hurricane Center. The area under the hurricane warning is home to more than 9.3 million residents.

It is expected to pound Yucatan

Milton is expected to hit the northern edge of the Yucatan Peninsula early Tuesday. The area is home to the beautiful colonial-era city of Merida, population 1.2 million, tourist-favorite Mayan ruins and the port of Progreso.

In Florida, states along the west coast have ordered people in low-lying areas to shelter in place.

Pinellas County, which includes St. Petersburg, said it had ordered the evacuation of more than 500,000 people. Lee County said there are 416,000 people living in evacuation zones. At least six other coastal counties have ordered evacuations, including Hillsborough County, including the city of Tampa.

With one last day for people to leave on Tuesday, local officials expressed concern about traffic jams and long lines at gas stations.

Relief efforts continue across the Southeast US after Helene, a Category 4 hurricane that struck Florida on September 26, killed more than 200 people and caused billions of dollars in damage across six states. Asheville and other mountain communities in western North Carolina, hundreds of miles inland, were hard hit.