The mayor of Tampa, Florida, warned that people who choose to stay in areas under mandatory evacuation orders due to the impending threat posed by Hurricane Milton may be killed.
“There’s never been one like this,” Mayor Jane Castor told CNN on Monday, adding that people who choose to “ride out” Milton will face a life-threatening situation.
She then warned: “If you choose to stay in one of those evacuation areas, you’re going to die.”
“Anyone who was born and raised in the Tampa Bay area has never seen anything like this,” Castor said.
Despite the storm’s weakening, the NHC said in a discussion that it is changing in size. “The structure of Milton has changed significantly overnight. The pinhole eye seen yesterday has filled and earlier aircraft data showed a double eyewall structure,” the NHC said.
Recent images show that it has now “one larger eyewall” and is currently undergoing an “eyewall replacement cycle,” which “are common in strong hurricanes and often cause the peak winds to fluctuate,” causing them to expand, according to the agency.
The storm, however, will be relatively small despite the reformation, officials said. Still, it is expected to double in size by the time it slams into Florida’s central Gulf Coast area, the NHC added.
“Damaging winds, life-threatening storm surge, and heavy rainfall will extend well outside the forecast cone. It is worth emphasizing that this is a very serious situation and residents in Florida should closely follow orders from their local emergency management officials,” the discussion said. “Milton has the potential to be one of the most destructive hurricanes on record for west-central Florida.”
Forecasters warned of a possible 8- to 12-foot storm surge in Tampa Bay. That’s the highest ever predicted for the location and nearly double the levels reached two weeks ago during Helene, hurricane center spokesperson Maria Torres said.
The storm could also bring widespread flooding. Five to 10 inches of rain was forecast for mainland Florida and the Keys, with as much as 15 inches expected in some places.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday morning reassured residents there is no shortage of fuel despite reports of long lines at gas stations in the state.
“There is no fuel shortage. Fuel continues to arrive in the state of Florida,” he said, adding that the state is working with fuel companies to bring in the product.
“You do not have to get on the interstate and go far away,” DeSantis said at a Tuesday news conference. “You can evacuate tens of miles; you do not have to evacuate hundreds of miles away. You do have options.”
Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell told reporters that her agency is moving staff and supplies into place in advance of Milton, pleading with residents to heed evacuation orders.
“This is an extremely dangerous hurricane,” Criswell said Tuesday morning. “I need people to listen to their local officials to get out of harm’s way… people don’t need to move far. They just need to move inland.”
