As Florida braces for Hurricane Milton, a Category 5 storm, residents along the Gulf Coast were given a final warning to evacuate or take shelter on Wednesday. With evacuation orders affecting more than 1 million people, highways became clogged with fleeing residents, and gas stations ran dry, heightening concerns in a region still recovering from Hurricane Helene, which hit just two weeks ago.
The storm is on a path to strike the Tampa Bay area, home to over 3 million people, although forecasters caution that its course could still shift. Milton is expected to bring a deadly storm surge of over 10 feet (3 meters) and could retain its hurricane strength even after crossing Florida, threatening both the Gulf and Atlantic coasts.
Officials, from President Joe Biden to Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, have urged those in evacuation zones to leave immediately or risk severe consequences. As Michael Tylenda, a visitor to Tampa, expressed, “the house can be replaced… it’s better to get out of town.”
Milton’s winds, at 160 mph (260 kph), mark it as one of the strongest storms on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Even if wind speeds decrease, the storm’s size continues to grow, extending its potential impact.
The economic implications are also significant, with 2.8% of U.S. GDP in the storm’s direct path. Companies, including airlines, energy firms, and Universal Studios, are beginning to suspend operations in preparation for widespread disruptions.
Hurricane Milton has become the third-fastest intensifying storm ever recorded in the Atlantic, surging from a Category 1 to a Category 5 storm in less than 24 hours. This rapid intensification is attributed to extremely warm sea surface temperatures. Daniel Gilford, a climate scientist from Climate Central, explained that increasing greenhouse gases from human activities, particularly fossil fuel burning, are contributing to these rising temperatures and fueling such powerful storms.
As Milton approaches, more than a dozen coastal counties, including Hillsborough (home to Tampa) and Pinellas (which includes St. Petersburg), issued mandatory evacuation orders. Over 500,000 people in Pinellas County and 416,000 people in Lee County were instructed to evacuate. Evacuation orders also targeted residents of mobile homes, nursing homes, and assisted living facilities.
In Fort Myers, Jamie Watts, who lost his mobile home during Hurricane Ian in 2022, and his wife evacuated to a hotel, reflecting the broader concerns of residents who have faced repeated devastation from recent hurricanes.
Floridians had one last day on Wednesday to either evacuate or prepare for the arrival of Hurricane Milton, a Category 5 storm that could become one of the most destructive ever to hit Florida’s Gulf Coast. Over 1 million residents in coastal areas were under evacuation orders, leading to crowded highways and fuel shortages at gas stations. This came as the region was still recovering from Hurricane Helene, which struck less than two weeks prior.
The storm was heading toward the Tampa Bay area, home to more than 3 million people, although forecasters cautioned that its path could still shift before it made landfall late Wednesday or early Thursday. Following a rare west-to-east trajectory across the Gulf of Mexico, Milton was expected to bring a deadly storm surge of over 10 feet (3 meters) along much of Florida’s Gulf Coast.
Officials, including President Joe Biden and Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, urged residents in evacuation zones to leave immediately or risk death. Michael Tylenda, visiting his son in Tampa, took the warnings seriously.
“If you know anything about Florida, if you’re ordered to evacuate and you don’t, you can end up dead,” Tylenda said. “Too many people stay behind and drown. It’s just not worth it. Your house and belongings can be replaced, but your life can’t. So it’s better to leave.”
The U.S. National Hurricane Center reported that Milton’s 160 mph (260 kph) sustained winds placed it at the highest level on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale.
While Hurricane Milton’s wind speeds could drop, potentially downgrading it from Category 5, the storm was expanding in size, threatening more coastal areas. Milton was expected to retain hurricane strength as it moved across Florida, bringing the risk of a storm surge to the state’s Atlantic Coast as well.
According to Ryan Sweet, chief U.S. economist at Oxford Economics, about 2.8% of the U.S. GDP was directly in the storm’s path. In preparation, airlines, energy companies, and even Universal Studios began shutting down their Florida operations, bracing for the expected disruptions.
Milton became the third-fastest intensifying storm on record in the Atlantic, rapidly growing from a Category 1 to a Category 5 within 24 hours. Daniel Gilford, a climate scientist at Climate Central, attributed this rapid intensification to the unusually warm sea surface temperatures, fueled by human-induced climate change through the burning of fossil fuels.
Mandatory evacuation orders were issued for over a dozen coastal counties, including Hillsborough County in Tampa. Pinellas County, which includes St. Petersburg, ordered the evacuation of over 500,000 residents, while Lee County reported 416,000 people living in mandatory evacuation zones. Mobile homes, nursing homes, and assisted living facilities were also required to evacuate.
In Fort Myers, Jamie Watts and his wife, who lost their trailer to Hurricane Ian in 2022, sought shelter in a hotel. “My wife’s happy. We’re not in that tin can,” Watts said. Recalling their experience during Ian, he added, “We stayed and literally watched the roof tear off our house. It was terrifying, so this time, I’m going to be a little safer.”
On Tuesday, bumper-to-bumper traffic clogged roads out of Tampa, while about 17% of Florida’s gas stations ran out of fuel, according to GasBuddy, a fuel market tracker.
