As Hurricane Milton strengthened into a Category 5 storm, US President Joe Biden has said those living in the storm’s path should leave immediately and it is a matter of “life and death.”
Also, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said residents have a short window to execute their evacuation plans ahead of Hurricane Milton’s landfall, expected tomorrow night.
“You should be executing your plan now. If you’re gonna get out, get out now,” DeSantis said at a news conference Tuesday afternoon.
“You have time today. Time will be running out very shortly, if you wait any longer,” he added.
The hurricane is set to hit the state less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene, which caused widespread devastation in the US south-east, killing at least 225 people.
Milton is once again a rare Category 5 hurricane according to the latest update from the National Hurricane Center. The storm is 480 miles southwest of Tampa, Florida with sustained winds of 165 mph and is moving east-northeast at 9 mph.
Milton first became a Category 5 hurricane on Monday at 11 a.m. ET and maintained Category 5 strength until 2 a.m. Tuesday.
The storm’s strength is expected to fluctuate over the next 36 hours, and it will weaken slightly to a much larger Category 3 hurricane before landfall on the west coast of Florida.
Including Milton, only 42 hurricanes have gotten this powerful in the Atlantic on record, according to data from NOAA. Before this season, only two Category 5 hurricanes roamed the basin in the 2020s: 2022’s Ian and 2023’s Lee.
Already, residents are boarding up windows and finalizing evacuation plans as another severe storm bears down.
Huge lines of traffic can be seen in Tampa, Florida, as residents try to flee ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Milton.
Elsewhere people have been boarding up homes and businesses, and a shelter has been set up at a baseball stadium.
Officials have warned of the threat to life posed by the category four storm as it heads towards the US.
DeSantis noted that shoulders of major highway routes used for evacuations have been opened and tolls have been waived, as well.
Executive Director for the Florida Division of Emergency Management Kevin Guthrie added that the state is providing free shuttle service for people who are trying to evacuate.
“We have a system that the state of Florida provides. If you need a ride, you can certainly go to Lyft or Uber and put in ‘Milton Relief’… to get a free ride, or we’ll send a bus to pick you up, that number is 1-800-729-3413,” Guthrie said.
Guthrie also urged residents to prepare for the hurricane by charging all portable electronic devices and making sure supply kits have at least even days worth of food in it.
