Author: Terry Spencer and Kate Payne
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Hurricane Milton brought rain, tornadoes and tropical storm-force winds to the U.S. coast on Wednesday as the storm headed toward Florida, sending residents on a potentially catastrophic path to evacuate. Time is running out.
The National Hurricane Center stressed that it was uncertain where Milton Center would make landfall Wednesday night because the storm's path could “wobble,” but that the entire Tampa Bay area and areas to the south were at severe risk. Tropical storm-force winds began battering the coast Wednesday afternoon.
Earlier, officials issued dire warnings for people to flee or face little chance of survival.
“That's it, guys,” said Kathy Perkins, emergency management director for Pinellas County, which sits on a peninsula in Tampa Bay. “For those who were hit hard during Hurricane Helene, this is going to be a crushing loss. You need to get out, and you need to get out now.
By late afternoon, some officials said the time for such an effort had passed.
“Unless you really have a good reason to leave right now, we recommend that you remain calm,” Polk County Emergency Management Director Paul Womble said in a public update.
Likewise, Pasco County officials told residents “it's time to ride out the storm where you are” and expected emergency crews to be unable to respond to calls for several hours during the storm.
Milton fluctuated in intensity as it approached Florida, becoming a Category 3 hurricane Wednesday afternoon. By Thursday, the hurricane was expected to make landfall and cause damage across the state, including in the densely populated Orlando area.
Tampa Bay, which sits near the top of a long stretch of coastline that could be a bullseye, hasn't taken a direct hit from a major hurricane in more than a century.
“That doesn’t mean it won’t happen,” said Luisa Meshekoff, who nonetheless remains in her home in the Tampa Bay area with her partner and eight cats. A brick warehouse in a mandatory evacuation zone. The couple considered leaving but decided taking the cat to a shelter was not an option and they feared being stranded on the road could be dangerous.
“I think if you have water and batteries, everything will be fine,” Meshkov said. “I might be singing a different tune at two in the morning.”
Milton's threat comes as communities remain in distress two weeks after Hurricane Helene flooded streets and homes in western Florida and killed at least 230 people in the south. In many places along the coast, municipalities raced to collect and dispose of debris before Milton's high winds and storm surge could sweep it up and cause more damage.
As the storm weakens but grows in size, surge heights are expected to reach 12 feet (3.6 meters) in Tampa Bay and 13 feet (3.6 meters) further south between Sarasota and Fort Myers. feet (4 meters).
Jackie Curnick said she struggled with the decision to stay home in Sarasota. But with a 2-year-old son and a baby girl due on Oct. 29, Curnick and her husband decided it was for the best.
Konik said they started packing to evacuate on Monday, but they couldn't find any available hotel rooms, and the few they found were too expensive.
If they got in their cars and left, she said, there would be too many unanswered questions: Where to sleep, whether they would be able to fill up their gas tanks and whether they could find a safe route out of the state.
“The problem is it's very difficult to evacuate on the peninsula,” she said. “In most other states, you can leave in any direction. In Florida, there are only so many ways to go north or south.
The famous Sunshine Skyway bridge across the mouth of Tampa Bay was closed around noon. Other major bridges were also closed.
“Yesterday I said time has passed. What I'm saying today is the alarm bells are really ringing. People need to get to safety,” said National Weather Service Director Ken Graham.
At a news conference in Tallahassee, Gov. Ron DeSantis described the deployment of a variety of resources, including 9,000 National Guard members from Florida and other states; more than 50,000 utility workers from as far away as California ;Highway patrol cars with sirens escorting tanker trucks to replenish supplies so people can fill up before evacuating.
“Unfortunately, people are going to die. I don't think there's any way to fix this,” DeSantis said.
The hurricane center reported that as of Wednesday evening, Milton was centered about 20 miles (30 kilometers) west-southwest of Sarasota, Florida, with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph (195 kph). It was moving northeast at 15 mph (28 kph), a slight slowdown from earlier in the afternoon.
Heavy rain and tornadoes hit parts of southern Florida starting Wednesday morning, with conditions worsening throughout the day. Inland, rainfall amounts of 6 to 12 inches (15 to 31 cm) are expected, with up to 18 inches (46 cm) in some areas, creating the risk of catastrophic flooding.
A tornado struck the sparsely populated Everglades and crossed Interstate 75 early Wednesday morning. broken into pieces.
Authorities have issued mandatory evacuation orders for 15 Florida counties with a total population of approximately 7.2 million. Officials warned that anyone left behind must take care of themselves, as first responders were not expected to risk their lives in attempted rescues at the height of the storm.
St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch told residents to expect extended power outages and possible sewer system shutdowns.
In Port Charlotte, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) south of Tampa, Josh Parks was loading his Kia sedan with clothes and other items as the clouds swirled and the wind howled. Flooding in Helen two weeks ago brought about 5 feet of water to the neighborhood, and streets are still filled with submerged furniture, torn drywall and other debris.
Parks, an automotive technician, planned to flee to his daughter's home inland and said his roommates had already left.
“I told her to pack her bags like you're not coming back,” he said.
As of early afternoon, airlines had canceled about 1,900 flights. SeaWorld was closed all day Wednesday, and Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando were closed in the afternoon.
More than 60% of gas stations in Tampa and St. Petersburg were out of gas Wednesday afternoon, according to GasBuddy. DeSantis said the state's overall supply situation is good and Highway Patrol troopers are escorting tanker trucks to replenish supplies.
In Gulfport in the Tampa Bay area, Christian Burke and his mother live in their three-story concrete house overlooking the bay. Burke said his father designed the house with Category 5 standards in mind and now they are putting it to the test.
When a passing police car made noises to encourage an evacuation, Burke admitted it was not a good idea to stay and said he was “not laughing at the storm at all.”
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Contributing to this report was Associated Press reporter Holly Ramer in New Hampshire. Joseph Frederick, West Bradenton, Fla.; Curt Anderson, Tampa; Freida Frisaro, Fort Lauderdale; Tallahassee Brendan Farrington; Michael Goldberg in Minneapolis; Patrick Whittle in Portland, Maine; and Jeff Martin in Atlanta.
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