TAMPA–Hurricane Milton poses an “extremely serious threat” to both Florida’s west coast and east coast as it continues its march toward the state, National Hurricane Center experts said in an Oct. 8 morning advisory.
Landfall is still expected to be in the vicinity of Tampa Bay, however a hurricane warning is in effect for the entire width of the central Florida peninsula, and hurricane and storm surge warnings have now been issued for the east coast.
Storm surge of three to five feet is anticipated for the Atlantic coast from the Volusia/Brevard county line, just north of Cape Canaveral, through Jacksonville, and up to Altamaha Sound in Georgia. St. John’s River is also expected to get two to four feet of storm surge.
Milton rapidly intensified into a Category 5 hurricane by Monday, Oct. 7, achieving maximum sustained winds of 180 mph.
That intensity has since decreased down to 145 mph sustained winds as of 8 a.m. on Oct. 8, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Tampa Bay has not been hit directly by a major hurricane since 1921.
“This is the real deal here with Milton,” Tampa Mayor Jane Castor told a separate press conference. “If you want to take on Mother Nature, she wins 100 percent of the time.”
The Tampa Bay area is still rebounding from Hurricane Helene and its powerful surge—a wall of water up to 8 feet it created even though its eye was 100 miles offshore. Twelve people died there, with the worst damage along a string of barrier islands from St. Petersburg to Clearwater.
He was joined by Kevin Guthrie, executive director of Florida’s Division of Emergency Management (FDEM), Jared Perdue, secretary for Florida’s Department of Transportation (FDOT), and David Kerner, director of Florida’s Highway Patrol (FHP).
Evacuations have been underway since Oct. 7, with I-75 and I-4 recording average speeds of 20 mph. FDOT and FHP have already taken steps to help mitigate the spike in traffic by opening up emergency use of the highway shoulders to traffic and expediting roadside assistance to those who need it.
Kevin Guthrie, executive director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, said he was encouraged by how many people are evacuating ahead of the storm.
“This is actually a good sign that people are starting to get out of harm’s way,” he said during the Oct. 7 briefing.
The governor also said that at least 8,000 members of Florida’s National Guard will be deployed to respond to the storm as well as more than 30,000 linemen ready to restore power. These linemen are coming from as far away as California.
Meanwhile, FDEM announced on Oct. 8 it was fulfilling close to 1,000 pre-storm missions to support local communities. Those include the deployment of tiger dams and more than 11,000 feet of flood protection systems, primarily to protect infrastructure like hospitals, electrical infrastructure, and wastewater treatment facilities.
Starlink internet has been deployed.
The state has assisted in the evacuation of more than 200 health care facilities. Generators have been provided to special needs shelters, and more than 350 ambulances and more than 30 para-transits are in operation with more than 140 standing by.
DeSantis also announced that the Florida Disaster Fund, already open for Hurricane Helene, will be open for Hurricane Milton on Oct. 8.
“After Hurricane Ian, for example, the Florida disaster fund raised and distributed over $63 million to help Floridians,” he said. “This thing will help rebuild homes. It helped [by] providing food and supplies. It helped to aid small businesses. It helped to supplement incomes for teachers and first responders who were having to go perform their duties while they were still suffering from the impacts of the storm, and I’ve directed Volunteer Florida to keep the fund activated.
“We want to continue to do what we can.”
Expedited efforts to clear debris from Hurricane Helene continue at full speed, and DeSantis said that the state will continue to supplement local and private efforts to clear debris from homes and businesses around the clock until the storm gets so close that it is no longer safe to do so.
FDOT has removed almost 22,000 cubic yards of debris in the last 24 hours, the governor said. That is equal to what any single private contractor has been able to clear since the Helene cleanup began.
A steady stream of vehicles headed north toward the Florida Panhandle on Interstate 75, the main highway on the west side of the peninsula, as residents heeded evacuation orders. Traffic clogged the southbound lanes of the highway for miles as other residents headed for the relative safety of Fort Lauderdale and Miami on the other side of the state.
About 150 miles (south of Tampa, Fort Myers Beach was nearly a ghost town by Monday afternoon as an evacuation order took effect. Hurricane Ian devastated the 5,000-resident community two years ago, its 15-foot storm surge destroying or severely damaging 400 homes and businesses. Fourteen people died there as they tried to ride out the storm, and dozens had to be rescued.
On Monday, the few residents who could be found were racing against the clock to safeguard their buildings and belongings. None said they were staying.
Workers in Florida have been preparing for Milton by removing debris from previous storms, pre-staging for rescue missions, and ensuring generators are ready to kick in.
The White House said President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have been in touch with DeSantis and Tampa Mayor Jane Castor to learn firsthand about the preparations.
Guthrie announced that he would be writing a letter to FEMA asking for assistance in debris removal.
“I’m going to be asking FEMA to let us have the flexibility to provide guaranteed daily rates for 30,60, 90 days so that we can encourage and incentivize these haulers to come from across the country to help us get that debris picked up,” he said.
