TAMPA—Florida is bracing for what could be its biggest evacuation in seven years, as Hurricane Milton strengthens and heads toward major population centers including Tampa and Orlando.
Milton is expected to make landfall Wednesday on the Gulf Coast of Florida as a Category 3 hurricane and remain a hurricane as it moves across central Florida into the Atlantic Ocean. That would largely spare other southeastern states ravaged by Hurricane Helene, which caused catastrophic damage from Florida into the Appalachian Mountains and a death toll that rose on Sunday to at least 230 people.
Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, the Florida Peninsula, the Florida Keys, and the northwestern Bahamas should monitor the system’s progress, the hurricane center said. Heavy rainfall was expected Sunday ahead of the hurricane and likely will then combine with Milton’s rainfall to flood waterways and streets in Florida, where forecasters said up to a foot of rain could fall in places through Wednesday night.
Florida’s Gov. Ron DeSantis said earlier on Sunday that the state is preparing for the storm and that the top priority is round-the-clock debris cleanup from Hurricane Helene, which hit only 10 days ago.
A tropical storm warning has been issued for Mexico’s Celestún to the Caribbean’s Cabo Catoche, while a tropical storm watch is in effect for east of Cabo Catoche to Cancún.
Storm Surge and Hurricane Watches will likely be issued for portions of Florida early Monday.
When DeSantis gave his briefing, the tracks predicted landfall on Madeira Beach in Pinellas County, and he warned that, along with the intense winds, storm surge damage could exceed that of Helene.
“Most of the Big Bend is uninhabited,” he said. “When you’re talking about Tampa Bay, and you talk about what even 10 feet of storm surge would do in an area that has, I mean, the Greater Tampa Bay Area has millions of people.
“That is just a level of damage, I think, that would far exceed the damage that was done in the Big Bend.”
DeSantis and Kevin Guthrie, executive director of Florida’s Division of Emergency Management, announced plans underway to stage resources in the Tampa Bay area. They said they are prepared for the possibility of Tampa Bay landfall and a storm track that runs along the I-4 corridor across the state, causing debris, significant power outages, and infrastructure damage.
“The State Emergency Response Team planning section has been working this particular scenario, as well as other scenarios, for at least two weeks now,” Guthrie said. “So that’s what’s making us very effective in the response before hurricane season ever began. Our team knew to hope for the best and prepare for the worst.”
High-water vehicles have been sent to Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties. A Hillsborough County fire station received 400 feet of flood protection systems, and another 1,800 feet will be distributed to wastewater facilities, pump stations, and a hospital in Hillsborough and Manatee counties.
DeSantis also recalled members of Florida’s State Guard, National Guard, Fish and Wildlife, Highway Patrol, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement who were deployed to help North Carolina and Tennessee recover from Helene, along with all necessary equipment to respond to Milton.
“I have the State Emergency Response Team preparing for the largest evacuation that we have seen, most likely since 2017 hurricane Irma,” Guthrie said, urging Floridians to finalize their hurricane plans as soon as possible.
Guthrie added that the Florida Department of Emergency Management has “thought through a lot of contingencies,” including providing emergency fuel and EV charging along evacuation routes, as well as identifying every potential housing location, which his division calls “a refuge of last resort.”
Meanwhile, debris cleanup remains a top priority across the Gulf Coast before tropical storm conditions return.
In his Oct. 5 executive order declaring a state of emergency for 35 counties—now amended to 51—the governor ordered all disaster debris management sites and landfills in all Helene-impacted counties to remain open for 24-hour operations.
The governor said that the Florida Department of Transportation is working with local entities to remove the remaining sand from local roads throughout Pinellas County’s barrier islands. More than 800 Florida National Guardsmen are deployed for debris removal, mostly in Pinellas County, and the number of guardsmen will reach 4,000.
The Florida State Guard and the Florida Highway Patrol are also assisting in this effort.
“You could potentially save lives because this debris can fly and hit people,” the governor said.
