Hurricane Milton is still a powerful storm that has the potential to strike Tampa and St. Petersburg directly once in a century, enveloping the populated area in massive storm surges and turning the wreckage from Hurricane Helene’s destruction 12 days ago into projectiles.
Hurricane Milton is still a powerful storm that has the potential to strike Tampa and St. Petersburg directly once in a century, enveloping the populated area in massive storm surges and turning the wreckage from Hurricane Helene’s destruction 12 days ago into projectiles.
The storm had earlier abated, but the U.S. Hurricane Milton was once again classified as a Category 5 storm by the National Hurricane Center on Tuesday.
The most recent is this:
Miami — Hurricane Milton is still a Category 5 hurricane, despite a little reduction in wind speed, the U.S. The latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center.
Maximum sustained wind speed during the storm is 160 mph (260 kph). by 11 p.m. On Tuesday, at 405 mph (650 km/h), it was southwest of Tampa, Florida, EDT. It is now traveling toward Florida at 12 mph (19 kph), increasing in lateral speed. The storm center predicted that it will continue to move faster through Wednesday night.
On Florida’s west coast, Milton was predicted to ashore late on Wednesday night close to Tampa; however, meteorologists warned that “it is critical to remember that even at 24 hours out, it is still not possible to pinpoint an exact landfall location.”
By the end of Tuesday, National Hurricane Center forecasters advised locals to evacuate or take other precautions.
The hurricane center stated that Milton “has the potential to be one of the most destructive hurricanes on record for west-central Florida.”
CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. — On Tuesday night, Charlotte County expanded the area under its Hurricane Milton evacuation order inland to what it calls “Zone C Yellow.”
Residents who live in mobile homes or prefabricated houses in any zone are included in the additional evacuation zone in the county southeast of Sarasota. Based on U.S. population estimates, that represents around 11% of the county’s total population of over 202,600. Bureau of Census.
Miami — Hurricane Milton continued to head northeast across the Gulf of Mexico at roughly 10 mph (17 kph) on Tuesday evening, still aimed toward Florida’s west coast, according to the U.S. Most recent advice from the National Hurricane Center.
by 8 p.m. The storm was about 710 kilometers (440 miles) southwest of Tampa around 3 p.m. EDT. At 165 mph (270 kph), its greatest sustained wind speed, it remained a Category 5 hurricane.
The hurricane center stated that although there may be fluctuations in intensity as Milton makes its way over the eastern Gulf of Mexico, it is anticipated to be a powerful major hurricane when it makes landfall on Florida’s west-central coast on Wednesday night.
On Florida’s east and west coasts, storm surge and hurricane warnings were still in force.
WASHINGTON — There are a lot of theories circulating about Hurricane Helene.
There are unfounded rumors that anyone receiving federal assistance may have their land taken. Or the most they will ever receive to reconstruct is just $750. Or that the director of the agency, who has been on the ground since the storm, was hospitalized after suffering injuries.
The Federal Emergency Management organization, the U.S. organization responsible for disaster response, has been battling false information ever since Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida over two weeks ago, leaving a path of devastation in her wake as it moved north.
Just before the presidential election, former President Donald Trump and others are fueling the false claims, which coincide with the agency preparing for the response to Hurricane Milton, the second significant disaster.
Deanne Criswell, the administrator of FEMA, told reporters on Tuesday that she had never seen a disinformation campaign as awful as the one that followed Hurricane Helene, which severely damaged North Carolina, a state that was crucial to winning the election.
TAMPA, Fla. — Still recovering from Hurricane Helene, hospitals and other medical institutions along Florida’s Gulf Coast are getting ready for Hurricane Milton.
Hospitals are mainly on guard, ready to stay open through the storm, while long-term care facilities in counties where mandatory evacuations have been imposed are moving their patients elsewhere.
As of this morning, 300 healthcare facilities, including assisted living and nursing homes, had been ordered to evacuate, according to the website of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. As of Tuesday afternoon, 10 hospitals had reported evacuations, and deputy secretary Kim Smoak of the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration stated that as of this morning.
It is the “largest evacuation ever” in the state, according to Steve McCoy, chief of the Florida Department of Health’s Bureau of Emergency Medical Oversight.
Miami — According to the most recent prediction discussion from the U.S., Hurricane Milton’s predicted course wobbled slightly on Tuesday, which implies it could make landfall on Wednesday a little south of Tampa Bay. Hurricane Center National.
Nevertheless, Milton is anticipated to lash out at the entire area.
Even a day and a half before it is predicted to land, it is challenging to pinpoint the precise position of landfall. A little over 60 miles (96 kilometers) can separate predictions, according to the hurricane center.
The population of the Tampa metro area is approximately 3.3 million. Less people live in the areas south of Tampa; Sarasota, the largest adjacent city, is located around 50 miles (80 kilometers) south.
WASHINGTON — According to Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh, the Pentagon has sent 1,500 active duty personnel to North Carolina to assist with clearing emergency routes, conducting helicopter search and rescue missions, and delivering food, water, and other supplies to areas most severely affected by Hurricane Helene.
In North Carolina, the National Guard employs about 5,000 people from 19 different states.
In anticipation of Hurricane Milton, the state of Florida has deployed over five thousand members of the National Guard. Furthermore, U.S. Army North is preparing helicopters and high water vehicles for search and rescue missions.
Miami — Hurricane Milton is once more a Category 5 storm as it makes landfall on the U.S. state of Florida. Tuesday afternoon, the National Hurricane Center stated.
Although Milton’s winds had earlier decreased to a Category 4 storm, they have now once again surpassed the Category 5 barrier. As of around 5 p.m., the storm was situated approximately 480 miles (775 kilometers) away from Tampa. The hurricane center reported sustained wind speeds of 165 mph (270 kph) for EDT.
On the east coastlines of Georgia and Florida, the hurricane center also issued storm surge and hurricane warnings.
The Florida Immigrant Coalition, the Farm Worker Association of Florida, and the Hope Community Center are a few of them.
The Hispanic population has been informed about the locations of shelters, as well as where to acquire food, water, sandbags, gasoline, and other necessities, by means of official information translated by them from state and municipal officials and shared in Spanish via Facebook, WhatsApp groups, and other social media platforms.
Similar to other local organizations that assist low-income Hispanic families, they have fielded hundreds of calls seeking information on the storm from Spanish-speaking immigrants who are unable to access information in their native tongue and do not know English.
The language barrier is “one of the main challenges,” according to Jessica Ramirez, general coordinator of the Farm Worker Association, which provides assistance to over 10,000 immigrants. “Finding information in Spanish is difficult in emergency situations such as hurricanes.”
As Hurricane Milton approaches, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis promised to keep up round-the-clock operations to remove Hurricane Helene debris until it is no longer safe to do so.
During a briefing on Tuesday afternoon in Ocala, the governor reported that workers from the Florida Department of Transportation had cleared more than 1,300 truckloads of debris in less than 48 hours, referring to this quantity as “a huge, huge amount.”
According to DeSantis, preventing further harm to communities depends on the cleanup effort.
He declared, “We’ve made a huge dent in this.” “Whether it’s debris floating into the Gulf of Mexico or projectiles hitting other buildings, the more debris we can pick up, the less damage that will occur.”
Disney World also reports that on Thursday, the theme parks would probably stay closed.
Evacuating for Milton, Evan Purcell of Anna Maria Island stated, “I’m still in shock over the first one and here comes round two.” “It just makes me feel sick to my stomach.”
As he prepared to leave, he was gathering his father’s ashes and attempting to reunite with his nine-year-old cat, McKenzie.
When his home flooded, Helene left him with damage worth thousands of dollars. Now that Milton might steal what’s left, he worries.
“It’s a toss-up,” he declared.
The point at which sea level rises above average is known as storm surge.
Storm surge excludes the wave height above the surge’s mean sea level, much like continuous winds do not include the possibility of even larger gusts.
A storm surge of 15 feet (5 meters) at high tide with 10-foot (3-meter) waves on top can easily destroy buildings, bring down bridges, and flatten anything in its path. A surge is also defined as the quantity that exceeds the regular tide at that moment.
Ahead of Hurricane Milton, the Tampa Bay Lightning of the NHL and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the NFL have left Florida to continue their weeklong practices.
The Bucs moved to New Orleans on Tuesday, where they will play the Saints on Sunday. In order to continue getting ready for their season opener against the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday night, the Lightning departed for Raleigh, North Carolina, on Monday evening.
The Lightning’s home opener versus Carolina is slated for this Saturday night and is now proceeding as planned.
The American Athletic Conference announced on Friday night that the football game between South Florida and Memphis at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa has been rescheduled until Saturday night. Following Milton’s passing, the conference intends to assess the situation and make any adjustments.
The time of UCF’s Big 12 home football game against Cincinnati is still set at 3:30 p.m. EDT start time in Orlando.
The men’s soccer game between UCF and Marshall was moved from Friday night to Sunday. A women’s soccer match between Florida Atlantic and Rice in Boca Raton, which was scheduled to take place on Thursday, has been rescheduled for October 17.
The LPGA Tour decided to postpone the LPGA Q-Series qualifying round, which was supposed to take place at Plantation Golf and Country Club in Venice, Florida, from October 13–18. After the storm passes, the tour promised to offer an update for the qualifying tournament.
With at least one sizable theme park and the main airport declaring closures in advance of Hurricane Milton’s anticipated arrival as a powerful storm in Florida, Orlando’s tourism industry came to a grinding halt on Tuesday.
At 2:00 p.m., Universal announced that its theme parks and entertainment area will close. Halloween Horror Nights scheduled for both days are canceled as of Wednesday and will remain closed on Thursday.
The resort is located next to Orlando International Airport, which announced that it will close on Wednesday morning. The airport is the busiest in Florida and the eighth busiest in the US.
Walt Disney World, meanwhile, declared that it was running normally and that its campgrounds and rental cabins in forested regions would remain closed for the time being.
The historic section of the seaside town of Punta Gorda, located near the Peace River in southwest Florida, is still replete with five-foot mounds of soggy debris that were removed from homes that were damaged by Hurricane Helene’s storm surge two weeks ago. The streets are lined with sheetrock, appliances, clothes, Bibles and other literature, toys, stuffed animals, and even a few hot tubs.
Hurricanes Ian and Charley, which made landfall there two years ago, and Charley in 2004 respectively, largely caused wind damage.
The homes are unlivable, so many of the occupants have temporarily moved out, but accountant and art collector Scott Joiner still lives on the second story of the house he built 17 years ago in the New Orleans style.
He claimed that bull sharks swam in the flooded streets during Helene’s storm surge, and an alligator was discovered close by. It was necessary to paddle a neighbor to safety. His family believed that storing their belongings in his first-floor garage would be secure, but the surge was too great. He claimed that despite its best efforts, the city has not had enough time to clean up the rubbish.
He now fears that things will get worse due to Milton’s anticipated ascent.
Joiner remarked, “Water is a blessing to have, but it is very deadly.”
A hurricane’s damaging toll is contingent upon its intensity and landfall location.
If a storm strikes a community that is not as resilient or breaks an important piece of infrastructure, it can still result in significant destruction and a high death toll. Devastating harm to homes, infrastructure, and the electrical grid can be caused by a hurricane of a moderate intensity, like Hurricane Jeanne in Florida in 2004. Flooding, collisions, injuries, and other storm-related disruptions are also frequent causes of death.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration states that tropical waves frequently combine with warm ocean waters to form hurricanes. Thunderstorms could possibly be their source of energy. Warm ocean air rises into the weather system, causing it to move westward and producing a low pressure region underneath it, according to NOAA. Thunderstorms and clouds are created when air rises and cools.
Maximum sustained winds, or the highest one-minute average wind speed at any given moment, can reach 74 mph (120 kph) or more during a hurricane. A tropical cyclone is classified as a tropical storm if its maximum sustained winds fall between 39 and 73 mph (63 and 120 kph). A tropical depression is defined as having maximum sustained winds of less than 39 mph (63 kph).
Hurricane season, which in the Atlantic basin runs from June 1 to November 30 each year, is when most hurricanes occur.
The historic section of the seaside town of Punta Gorda, located near the Peace River in southwest Florida, is still replete with five-foot mounds of soggy debris that were removed from homes that were damaged by Hurricane Helene’s storm surge two weeks ago. The streets are lined with sheetrock, appliances, clothes, Bibles and other literature, toys, stuffed animals, and even a few hot tubs.
Hurricanes Ian and Charley, which made landfall there two years ago, and Charley in 2004 respectively, largely caused wind damage.
The homes are unlivable, so many of the occupants have temporarily moved out, but accountant and art collector Scott Joiner still lives on the second story of the house he built 17 years ago in the New Orleans style.
He claimed that bull sharks swam in the flooded streets during Helene’s storm surge, and an alligator was discovered close by. It was necessary to paddle a neighbor to safety. His family believed that storing their belongings in his first-floor garage would be secure, but the surge was too great. He claimed that despite its best efforts, the city has not had enough time to clean up the rubbish.
He now fears that things will get worse due to Milton’s anticipated ascent.
Joiner remarked, “Water is a blessing to have, but it is very deadly.”
A hurricane’s damaging toll is contingent upon its intensity and landfall location.
If a storm strikes a community that is not as resilient or breaks an important piece of infrastructure, it can still result in significant destruction and a high death toll. Devastating harm to homes, infrastructure, and the electrical grid can be caused by a hurricane of a moderate intensity, like Hurricane Jeanne in Florida in 2004. Flooding, collisions, injuries, and other storm-related disruptions are also frequent causes of death.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration states that tropical waves frequently combine with warm ocean waters to form hurricanes. Thunderstorms could possibly be their source of energy. Warm ocean air rises into the weather system, causing it to move westward and producing a low pressure region underneath it, according to NOAA. Thunderstorms and clouds are created when air rises and cools.
Maximum sustained winds, or the highest one-minute average wind speed at any given moment, can reach 74 mph (120 kph) or more during a hurricane. A tropical cyclone is classified as a tropical storm if its maximum sustained winds fall between 39 and 73 mph (63 and 120 kph). A tropical depression is defined as having maximum sustained winds of less than 39 mph (63 kph).
Hurricane season, which in the Atlantic basin runs from June 1 to November 30 each year, is when most hurricanes occur.
The historic section of the seaside town of Punta Gorda, located near the Peace River in southwest Florida, is still replete with five-foot mounds of soggy debris that were removed from homes that were damaged by Hurricane Helene’s storm surge two weeks ago. The streets are lined with sheetrock, appliances, clothes, Bibles and other literature, toys, stuffed animals, and even a few hot tubs.
Hurricanes Ian and Charley, which made landfall there two years ago, and Charley in 2004 respectively, largely caused wind damage.
The homes are unlivable, so many of the occupants have temporarily moved out, but accountant and art collector Scott Joiner still lives on the second story of the house he built 17 years ago in the New Orleans style.
He claimed that bull sharks swam in the flooded streets during Helene’s storm surge, and an alligator was discovered close by. It was necessary to paddle a neighbor to safety. His family believed that storing their belongings in his first-floor garage would be secure, but the surge was too great. He claimed that despite its best efforts, the city has not had enough time to clean up the rubbish.
He now fears that things will get worse due to Milton’s anticipated ascent.
Joiner remarked, “Water is a blessing to have, but it is very deadly.”
A hurricane’s damaging toll is contingent upon its intensity and landfall location.
If a storm strikes a community that is not as resilient or breaks an important piece of infrastructure, it can still result in significant destruction and a high death toll. Devastating harm to homes, infrastructure, and the electrical grid can be caused by a hurricane of a moderate intensity, like Hurricane Jeanne in Florida in 2004. Flooding, collisions, injuries, and other storm-related disruptions are also frequent causes of death.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration states that tropical waves frequently combine with warm ocean waters to form hurricanes. Thunderstorms could possibly be their source of energy. Warm ocean air rises into the weather system, causing it to move westward and producing a low pressure region underneath it, according to NOAA. Thunderstorms and clouds are created when air rises and cools.
Maximum sustained winds, or the highest one-minute average wind speed at any given moment, can reach 74 mph (120 kph) or more during a hurricane. A tropical cyclone is classified as a tropical storm if its maximum sustained winds fall between 39 and 73 mph (63 and 120 kph). A tropical depression is defined as having maximum sustained winds of less than 39 mph (63 kph).
Hurricane season, which in the Atlantic basin runs from June 1 to November 30 each year, is when most hurricanes occur.
The historic section of the seaside town of Punta Gorda, located near the Peace River in southwest Florida, is still replete with five-foot mounds of soggy debris that were removed from homes that were damaged by Hurricane Helene’s storm surge two weeks ago. The streets are lined with sheetrock, appliances, clothes, Bibles and other literature, toys, stuffed animals, and even a few hot tubs.
Hurricanes Ian and Charley, which made landfall there two years ago, and Charley in 2004 respectively, largely caused wind damage.
The homes are unlivable, so many of the occupants have temporarily moved out, but accountant and art collector Scott Joiner still lives on the second story of the house he built 17 years ago in the New Orleans style.
He claimed that bull sharks swam in the flooded streets during Helene’s storm surge, and an alligator was discovered close by. It was necessary to paddle a neighbor to safety. His family believed that storing their belongings in his first-floor garage would be secure, but the surge was too great. He claimed that despite its best efforts, the city has not had enough time to clean up the rubbish.
He now fears that things will get worse due to Milton’s anticipated ascent.
Joiner remarked, “Water is a blessing to have, but it is very deadly.”
A hurricane’s damaging toll is contingent upon its intensity and landfall location.
If a storm strikes a community that is not as resilient or breaks an important piece of infrastructure, it can still result in significant destruction and a high death toll. Devastating harm to homes, infrastructure, and the electrical grid can be caused by a hurricane of a moderate intensity, like Hurricane Jeanne in Florida in 2004. Flooding, collisions, injuries, and other storm-related disruptions are also frequent causes of death.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration states that tropical waves frequently combine with warm ocean waters to form hurricanes. Thunderstorms could possibly be their source of energy. Warm ocean air rises into the weather system, causing it to move westward and producing a low pressure region underneath it, according to NOAA. Thunderstorms and clouds are created when air rises and cools.
Maximum sustained winds, or the highest one-minute average wind speed at any given moment, can reach 74 mph (120 kph) or more during a hurricane. A tropical cyclone is classified as a tropical storm if its maximum sustained winds fall between 39 and 73 mph (63 and 120 kph). A tropical depression is defined as having maximum sustained winds of less than 39 mph (63 kph).
Hurricane season, which in the Atlantic basin runs from June 1 to November 30 each year, is when most hurricanes occur.
A timelapse video of the hurricane taken from the Dragon Endeavour spacecraft was shared by Matthew Dominick with X.
It was planned for Dominick and the other three astronauts to return to Earth on October 7 following their seven-month tenure aboard the International Space Station. However, the tropical weather that is now Hurricane Milton has kept them from returning home on multiple occasions.
Sunday is the earliest their SpaceX spacecraft may undock in preparation for a splashdown off the coast of Florida.
When Hurricane Milton moved toward the western coast of Florida on Tuesday, long lineups and empty gas pumps at some gas stations added to the anxiety of those preparing to either shelter in place or evacuate.
In advance of Milton’s anticipated landfall on Wednesday, state officials were coordinating with fuel suppliers to keep bringing in gasoline, said to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis during a morning press conference.
DeSantis stated, “Over the past 24 hours, we have been dispatching fuel as gas stations have run out.” Therefore, we presently have 110,000 gallons of gasoline and 268,000 gallons of diesel. We have added a lot, so those figures are lower than they were a day before, but there are still 1.2 million gallons of gasoline and diesel on their way to the state of Florida.
There wasn’t a fuel shortage, according to DeSantis. However, another nerve-wracking duty for those getting ready for a major hurricane was searching for gasoline.
According to fire officials, when the small plane crashed into Tampa Bay on Tuesday morning, four of the occupants were attempting to flee Hurricane Milton.
On the Piper Cherokee, three out of the four occupants required hospitalization.
following the collision close to St. Petersburg’s Albert Whitted Airport, according to Ashlie Handy, a representative for St. Petersburg Fire Rescue.
A good samaritan in a boat pulled the travelers and their one dog out of the sea, Handy told The Tampa Bay Times. Their conditions were unknown at first.
Hurricane Milton’s energy had “rebounded,” according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami on Tuesday afternoon, but it remained still a Category 4 storm.
The center reported that the storm had maximum sustained winds of 155 mph (250 kph) and was located approximately 520 miles (840 kilometers) southwest of Tampa. It stated that it was moving at 8 mph (13 kph) east by northeast.
According to the center, hurricane hunters from the Air Force Reserve discovered that the storm had gotten stronger.
According to the organization, “Today is the last full day for residents of Florida to prepare their homes and families and evacuate if instructed to do so.”
As people continue to leave in anticipation of Hurricane Milton, the Florida Highway Patrol reports that “heavy traffic patterns are flowing northbound and eastbound on all roadways” on Tuesday afternoon.
“Now is the right time for those who want to evacuate,” the organization stated in a statement. “If not, finish your storm preparations right away.”
On Tuesday, troopers persisted in accompanying fuel tankers to help with the supply of gasoline. Additionally, the agency stated that all bridges in the Tampa Bay region will close when troopers determine that the state of the roads poses a risk to public safety or when wind speeds are regularly 45 mph or greater.
During a Tuesday media briefing, representatives of the voting advocacy group Common Cause urged Southeast states still rebuilding from Hurricane Helene and anticipating another powerful hurricane to give voters’ flexibility first priority in November’s election.
The state has robust resilience plans to safeguard electoral infrastructure, according to Amy Keith, executive director of Common Cause Florida, but “the place where we feel like the state is a lot weaker is really assessing what voters need.”
She contended that in order to better serve the state’s displaced and overburdened citizens, vote centers should be used, which would enable registered voters to cast ballots somewhere other than their assigned precinct.
Among the groups that unsuccessfully pushed Florida and Georgia to extend their voter registration deadlines on Monday was Common Cause.
As they dealt with the aftermath of Hurricane Helene and prepared for a second hurricane that was predicted to make landfall on Wednesday, “the expectation on voters was too high” for them to concentrate on registering on Monday, according to Keith.
An entire house might be engulfed by the anticipated storm surge.
She remarked, “So if you’re in it, that’s basically the coffin that you’re in.”
She also voiced worries about the potential spread of ocean water throughout the city. “That is something that you only see in movies,” she remarked if it occurs.
Would you like to start a quarrel with Mother Nature? “She’s winning every single time,” the mayor continued.
As Hurricane Milton moves into Florida, the Biden administration has sent out temporary power crews, swift-water rescue teams, and search and rescue teams, according to White House spokesperson Emilie Simons.
She added that FEMA employs about 900 people in the area and has set up two staging stations with 20 million meals and 40 million liters of water. According to her, 440 of them are engaged in Hurricane Helene recovery efforts.
While President Joe Biden was traveling to Milwaukee on Air Force One, Simons informed reporters, “To anyone in Milton’s path, this storm will be catastrophic.” “We implore you to follow the advice of local authorities, particularly if they tell you to evacuate.”
Maniscalco remarked at a briefing, “I’ve lived here my entire life, and I’ve never seen a storm like this.”
“This storm has the potential to be historically catastrophic; it could be a life-or-death situation,” he declared. “This is the century’s storm.” This kind of potential influence hasn’t existed in more than a century. We need to be prepared. Everybody is on deck.
Even as other sectors of Orlando’s tourism industry shut down, major theme parks Walt Disney World and Universal stayed open on Tuesday ahead of Hurricane Milton’s anticipated arrival as a major hurricane in Florida.
Disney stated that it was running normally and that its only plans at this time were to close its campgrounds and vacation rentals located in forested areas.
Theme parks both promise to keep an eye on the weather and make necessary adjustments.
Other areas of Orlando were also closing, such as Orlando International Airport, which announced it would close on Wednesday morning. The airport is the busiest in Florida and the eighth busiest in the US.
With 74 million visitors in just the previous year, the Orlando region is the most popular travel destination in the US thanks to Disney World, Universal Orlando Resort, and other theme parks.
The mayor of St. Petersburg is worried about the safety of certain enormous construction cranes since there was not enough time to lower the equipment in advance.
At a briefing on Tuesday, Mayor Kenneth Welch stated, “There is a risk related to some of the construction cranes that are operating in our city due to Milton’s rapid intensification and potential wind speeds.”
Four building sites include cranes that are vulnerable to strong winds. According to Welch, “residents near those four construction sites are at risk for those cranes malfunctioning during the storm.”
The safest position for the cranes during a storm is a “weather vane” position, he claimed, but there was not enough time to pull them down.
County-level population estimates from the U.S. indicate that 5.9 million people live in the 11 Florida counties that are subject to mandatory evacuation orders. Bureau of Census.
Desoto and Marion counties in Florida have issued evacuation orders to anyone residing in mobile homes, recreational vehicles, modular homes, or low-lying regions.
Based on Census figures, nearly 20% of the more than 396,000 residents of Marion County and about 30% of the approximately 34,000 residents of Desoto County lived in mobile homes.
Arnie Bellini, a venture entrepreneur and homeowner in Clearwater Beach, contributed $500,000 to engage private contractors to remove debris from his neighborhood in advance of Hurricane Milton, in a region where people are preparing for a double whammy from hurricanes.
According to him, city contractors are unable to keep up with the massive amount of Hurricane Helene’s storm debris and the strict deadline to remove it before Milton is anticipated to arrive. Nevertheless, Bellini claimed he is making every effort.
Mounds of metal sheets and two-by-fours left over from Hurricane Helene litter the streets of the Clearwater Beach area. If they are not removed before Milton makes landfall, the piles of destroyed refrigerators, furniture, and drywall could become storm-powered shrapnel.
Bellini stated that he believes his endeavor would encourage other locals and company owners to take whatever action they can to rebuild their communities that have been devastated by storms.
Along with several other senior administration officials, Biden took part in an Oval Office meeting on Tuesday to talk about the federal government’s continued response to Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton preparations.
Following Milton’s passing, the president stated to reporters, “My priority is to increase the size and presence of our effort.”
Due to the storm, Biden canceled a trip he had scheduled to visit Germany and Angola later this week, stating, “I just don’t think I can be out of the country at this time.”
He stated that he still intended to go on his planned vacations, albeit it’s unclear when exactly he would.
Additionally, Biden discussed the false and misleading information on the federal response to Hurricane Helene, which Vice President Kamala Harris has attributed to her opponent on Election Day, former President Donald Trump. Regarding such false information, Biden remarked, “Those who do it do it to try to damage the administration.”
Biden responded that Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis “has been cooperative” and “said he’s gotten all that he needs” in response to DeSantis’ complaints on Harris’ remarks about Helene.
Biden claimed to have given DeSantis “my personal cellphone number” and to have told him, “You’re doing a great job,” and “we thank you for it.”
The new date of the Tampa game is Saturday, October 12.
After the storm passes, the American Athletic Conference and the teams will evaluate the overall situation to see if any more adjustments are necessary, the school said on Tuesday.
On April 11, the National Hurricane Center said. Hurricane Milton was located approximately 520 miles (835 km) southwest of Tampa on Tuesday. The hurricane center reported that it was traveling 9 mph east-northeast at its maximum sustained winds of 150 mph (240 km/h).
A storm surge warning has been expanded southward to Port Canaveral along Florida’s east coast, according to the center. According to the center, a Tropical Storm Watch has been issued by the Bahamas government for the extreme northwest Bahamas, which includes Grand Bahama Island, the Abacos, and Bimini.
According to the center, the hurricane was a Category 4 storm late on Tuesday morning.
It stated, “Milton is predicted to remain an extremely dangerous hurricane through landfall in Florida, although fluctuations in intensity are expected.”
In an attempt to remove the three-foot-tall mounds of waterlogged couches, appliances, mattresses, and two-by-fours that line the streets in this residential area of Clearwater Beach—all left behind by Hurricane Helene—Nick Szabo’s fleet of excavators and dump trucks set to work at roughly 6:30 am on Tuesday.
He threatened to turn “all this crap into missiles” if they didn’t remove it before Hurricane Milton made landfall. “It resembles a spear aimed towards you.”
According to Szabo, he was hired by a local who was ready to assist with road clearance and wasn’t willing to wait for overworked city contractors to do the task.
As of Monday at 5 p.m., his crew had removed about 260 tons of debris, and they intended to work through Tuesday at 7 p.m.
“Helping feels good,” Szabo remarked.
John Fedor and his wife Laura are having the worst vacation they have ever had. They missed their trip back to Philadelphia after misplacing their phone during a Caribbean cruise. They also missed their rescheduled flight on Tuesday morning due to a delayed transport to the Tampa airport.
“It’s been absolutely terrible,” Fedor remarked.
The Fedors are among many who are now stranded in this city ahead of a powerful hurricane that the Tampa Bay region hasn’t seen in a century, as the airport in the city closed its doors at 9 am on Tuesday.
Nothing worked out, he claimed. “We looked into driving home, taking the train home.”
“We’re kind of stranded here with not really many options.”
The White House stated Tuesday morning that President Joe Biden is delaying his travel to Germany and Angola in order to stay at the White House and keep an eye on Hurricane Milton, which is making landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast.
following the collision close to St. Petersburg’s Albert Whitted Airport, according to Ashlie Handy, a representative for St. Petersburg Fire Rescue.
A good samaritan in a boat pulled the travelers and their one dog out of the sea, Handy told The Tampa Bay Times. Their conditions were unknown at first.
Hurricane Milton’s energy had “rebounded,” according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami on Tuesday afternoon, but it remained still a Category 4 storm.
The center reported that the storm had maximum sustained winds of 155 mph (250 kph) and was located approximately 520 miles (840 kilometers) southwest of Tampa. It stated that it was moving at 8 mph (13 kph) east by northeast.
According to the center, hurricane hunters from the Air Force Reserve discovered that the storm had gotten stronger.
According to the organization, “Today is the last full day for residents of Florida to prepare their homes and families and evacuate if instructed to do so.”
As people continue to leave in anticipation of Hurricane Milton, the Florida Highway Patrol reports that “heavy traffic patterns are flowing northbound and eastbound on all roadways” on Tuesday afternoon.
“Now is the right time for those who want to evacuate,” the organization stated in a statement. “If not, finish your storm preparations right away.”
On Tuesday, troopers persisted in accompanying fuel tankers to help with the supply of gasoline. Additionally, the agency stated that all bridges in the Tampa Bay region will close when troopers determine that the state of the roads poses a risk to public safety or when wind speeds are regularly 45 mph or greater.
During a Tuesday media briefing, representatives of the voting advocacy group Common Cause urged Southeast states still rebuilding from Hurricane Helene and anticipating another powerful hurricane to give voters’ flexibility first priority in November’s election.
The state has robust resilience plans to safeguard electoral infrastructure, according to Amy Keith, executive director of Common Cause Florida, but “the place where we feel like the state is a lot weaker is really assessing what voters need.”
She contended that in order to better serve the state’s displaced and overburdened citizens, vote centers should be used, which would enable registered voters to cast ballots somewhere other than their assigned precinct.
Among the groups that unsuccessfully pushed Florida and Georgia to extend their voter registration deadlines on Monday was Common Cause.
As they dealt with the aftermath of Hurricane Helene and prepared for a second hurricane that was predicted to make landfall on Wednesday, “the expectation on voters was too high” for them to concentrate on registering on Monday, according to Keith.
An entire house might be engulfed by the anticipated storm surge.
She remarked, “So if you’re in it, that’s basically the coffin that you’re in.”
She also voiced worries about the potential spread of ocean water throughout the city. “That is something that you only see in movies,” she remarked if it occurs.
Would you like to start a quarrel with Mother Nature? “She’s winning every single time,” the mayor continued.
As Hurricane Milton moves into Florida, the Biden administration has sent out temporary power crews, swift-water rescue teams, and search and rescue teams, according to White House spokesperson Emilie Simons.
She added that FEMA employs about 900 people in the area and has set up two staging stations with 20 million meals and 40 million liters of water. According to her, 440 of them are engaged in Hurricane Helene recovery efforts.
While President Joe Biden was traveling to Milwaukee on Air Force One, Simons informed reporters, “To anyone in Milton’s path, this storm will be catastrophic.” “We implore you to follow the advice of local authorities, particularly if they tell you to evacuate.”
Maniscalco remarked at a briefing, “I’ve lived here my entire life, and I’ve never seen a storm like this.”
“This storm has the potential to be historically catastrophic; it could be a life-or-death situation,” he declared. “This is the century’s storm.” This kind of potential influence hasn’t existed in more than a century. We need to be prepared. Everybody is on deck.
Even as other sectors of Orlando’s tourism industry shut down, major theme parks Walt Disney World and Universal stayed open on Tuesday ahead of Hurricane Milton’s anticipated arrival as a major hurricane in Florida.
Disney stated that it was running normally and that its only plans at this time were to close its campgrounds and vacation rentals located in forested areas.
Theme parks both promise to keep an eye on the weather and make necessary adjustments.
Other areas of Orlando were also closing, such as Orlando International Airport, which announced it would close on Wednesday morning. The airport is the busiest in Florida and the eighth busiest in the US.
With 74 million visitors in just the previous year, the Orlando region is the most popular travel destination in the US thanks to Disney World, Universal Orlando Resort, and other theme parks.
The mayor of St. Petersburg is worried about the safety of certain enormous construction cranes since there was not enough time to lower the equipment in advance.
At a briefing on Tuesday, Mayor Kenneth Welch stated, “There is a risk related to some of the construction cranes that are operating in our city due to Milton’s rapid intensification and potential wind speeds.”
Four building sites include cranes that are vulnerable to strong winds. According to Welch, “residents near those four construction sites are at risk for those cranes malfunctioning during the storm.”
The safest position for the cranes during a storm is a “weather vane” position, he claimed, but there was not enough time to pull them down.
County-level population estimates from the U.S. indicate that 5.9 million people live in the 11 Florida counties that are subject to mandatory evacuation orders. Bureau of Census.
Desoto and Marion counties in Florida have issued evacuation orders to anyone residing in mobile homes, recreational vehicles, modular homes, or low-lying regions.
Based on Census figures, nearly 20% of the more than 396,000 residents of Marion County and about 30% of the approximately 34,000 residents of Desoto County lived in mobile homes.
Arnie Bellini, a venture entrepreneur and homeowner in Clearwater Beach, contributed $500,000 to engage private contractors to remove debris from his neighborhood in advance of Hurricane Milton, in a region where people are preparing for a double whammy from hurricanes.
According to him, city contractors are unable to keep up with the massive amount of Hurricane Helene’s storm debris and the strict deadline to remove it before Milton is anticipated to arrive. Nevertheless, Bellini claimed he is making every effort.
Mounds of metal sheets and two-by-fours left over from Hurricane Helene litter the streets of the Clearwater Beach area. If they are not removed before Milton makes landfall, the piles of destroyed refrigerators, furniture, and drywall could become storm-powered shrapnel.
Bellini stated that he believes his endeavor would encourage other locals and company owners to take whatever action they can to rebuild their communities that have been devastated by storms.
Along with several other senior administration officials, Biden took part in an Oval Office meeting on Tuesday to talk about the federal government’s continued response to Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton preparations.
Following Milton’s passing, the president stated to reporters, “My priority is to increase the size and presence of our effort.”
Due to the storm, Biden canceled a trip he had scheduled to visit Germany and Angola later this week, stating, “I just don’t think I can be out of the country at this time.”
He stated that he still intended to go on his planned vacations, albeit it’s unclear when exactly he would.
Additionally, Biden discussed the false and misleading information on the federal response to Hurricane Helene, which Vice President Kamala Harris has attributed to her opponent on Election Day, former President Donald Trump. Regarding such false information, Biden remarked, “Those who do it do it to try to damage the administration.”
Biden responded that Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis “has been cooperative” and “said he’s gotten all that he needs” in response to DeSantis’ complaints on Harris’ remarks about Helene.
Biden claimed to have given DeSantis “my personal cellphone number” and to have told him, “You’re doing a great job,” and “we thank you for it.”
The new date of the Tampa game is Saturday, October 12.
After the storm passes, the American Athletic Conference and the teams will evaluate the overall situation to see if any more adjustments are necessary, the school said on Tuesday.
On April 11, the National Hurricane Center said. Hurricane Milton was located approximately 520 miles (835 km) southwest of Tampa on Tuesday. The hurricane center reported that it was traveling 9 mph east-northeast at its maximum sustained winds of 150 mph (240 km/h).
A storm surge warning has been expanded southward to Port Canaveral along Florida’s east coast, according to the center. According to the center, a Tropical Storm Watch has been issued by the Bahamas government for the extreme northwest Bahamas, which includes Grand Bahama Island, the Abacos, and Bimini.
According to the center, the hurricane was a Category 4 storm late on Tuesday morning.
It stated, “Milton is predicted to remain an extremely dangerous hurricane through landfall in Florida, although fluctuations in intensity are expected.”
In an attempt to remove the three-foot-tall mounds of waterlogged couches, appliances, mattresses, and two-by-fours that line the streets in this residential area of Clearwater Beach—all left behind by Hurricane Helene—Nick Szabo’s fleet of excavators and dump trucks set to work at roughly 6:30 am on Tuesday.
He threatened to turn “all this crap into missiles” if they didn’t remove it before Hurricane Milton made landfall. “It resembles a spear aimed towards you.”
According to Szabo, he was hired by a local who was ready to assist with road clearance and wasn’t willing to wait for overworked city contractors to do the task.
As of Monday at 5 p.m., his crew had removed about 260 tons of debris, and they intended to work through Tuesday at 7 p.m.
“Helping feels good,” Szabo remarked.
John Fedor and his wife Laura are having the worst vacation they have ever had. They missed their trip back to Philadelphia after misplacing their phone during a Caribbean cruise. They also missed their rescheduled flight on Tuesday morning due to a delayed transport to the Tampa airport.
“It’s been absolutely terrible,” Fedor remarked.
The Fedors are among many who are now stranded in this city ahead of a powerful hurricane that the Tampa Bay region hasn’t seen in a century, as the airport in the city closed its doors at 9 am on Tuesday.
Nothing worked out, he claimed. “We looked into driving home, taking the train home.”
“We’re kind of stranded here with not really many options.”
The White House stated Tuesday morning that President Joe Biden is delaying his travel to Germany and Angola in order to stay at the White House and keep an eye on Hurricane Milton, which is making landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast.
