Florida prepares for biggest evacuation in years amid fears of largest storm surge in a century as state continues to clean up after Hurricane Helene

Florida is preparing for its biggest evacuation in seven years amid fears that Hurricane Milton will bring the biggest storm surge in a century, while the state is already busy cleaning up from Hurricane Helene.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has declared a state of emergency for 51 of the state’s 67 counties as officials across the state urge people to flee before Milton makes landfall Wednesday around 5 p.m.

‘Go now. Beat the traffic and go now and just get to higher ground,” said Tampa Mayor Jane Castor told CNN she tells the residents.

Other county and city officials are mandating evacuations, and Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody said at a news conference Sunday that residents who choose to ignore evacuation orders should take steps to help authorities identify them if they die in the storm.

“You should probably write your name on your arm in permanent marker so people know who you are when they approach you afterwards,” she said bluntly.

Milton was about 370 miles west-northwest of Progreso, Mexico, and 765 miles west-southwest of Tampa late Sunday evening, with maximum sustained winds of 90 mph, the National Hurricane Center reported.

While forecast models vary widely, the most likely path suggests Milton could make landfall in the United States on Wednesday Tampa Bay area and remains a hurricane as it moves through central Florida toward the Atlantic Ocean.

That would largely spare other southeastern states that have been affected Hurricane Helenewhich caused catastrophic damage from Florida the Appalachians and a death toll that rose to at least 230 people on Sunday.

But the storm is expected to strengthen strongly over the next 48 hours, becoming a Category 3 hurricane by the time it reaches Florida. according to the Tallahassee Democrat.

It Four to eight inches of rain are expected to fall in the cities of Miami, Orlando and Tampa, and as much as six inches of rain may fall in other parts of the state.

It will also bring the potential for the worst storm surge in more than 100 years in the Tampa Bay area with up to 10 inches of water — nearly double that of Helene, which killed 12 people in Pinellas County alone. according to the Tampa Bay Times.

“I don’t think there’s a scenario where we don’t have a major impact right now,” DeSantis said at a news conference Sunday.

“You have time to prepare – all day today, all day Monday, probably all day Tuesday to make sure your hurricane preparedness plan is in place,” DeSantis said. “If you’re on the west coast of Florida, the barrier islands, just assume you’ll be asked to leave.”

He further suggested that the risk of power outages may be greater than what residents saw during Helene.

More than 15 million people are now under flood watch through Thursday morning, and schools in Hillsborough County, Pinellas County and Pasco County have already announced closures through Wednesday, with Hillsborough officials saying the decision allows the converting schools into shelters.

“Given the recent impact of Hurricane Helene, many in our community are still recovering and may find it unsafe to remain in their homes. In addition, we expect an influx of evacuees from coastal areas,” provincial officials said.

“If you are in an evacuation area, please consider using one of our school shelters.”

Officials in Tampa have also opened all city garages for free to residents who want to protect their cars from flooding, including electric vehicles. Vehicles must be left in any garage on the third floor or higher.

The storm will come less than two weeks after Helene left thousands of people stranded in their flooded homes, and Governor DeSantis warned Sunday that flying debris could pose a major threat to lives and property as so many people have yet to clear debris from their homes . .

With that in mind, the governor issued an emergency order Saturday requiring all landfills and debris management sites to be open 24 hours a day.

He also remembered National Guard and State Guard members deployed to other Southern states to assist in their recovery efforts for Helene.

More than 800 guards are currently deployed to remove debris, but DeSantis said Sunday that as many as 4,000 would be available soon, according to CNN.

“All available state resources … are being marshaled to help remove the debris,” DeSantis said. “We’re going 24 hours a day, 7 days a week… it’s all hands on deck.”

And building on lessons learned during Irma and other previous storms, Florida is organizing emergency fueling for gas vehicles and charging stations for electric vehicles along evacuation routes, Kevin Guthrie, executive director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, said during a Sunday briefing.

“We’re looking at every potential, potential location that could potentially house someone, as we call it in emergency management, as a refuge of last resort,” Guthrie added.

When Milton reached hurricane status on Sunday, it was one of the first thirteenth storms of the season, which normally doesn’t occur until October 25, CNN reports.

Milton also marked the first time the Atlantic Ocean had three simultaneous hurricanes after September, according to hurricane scientist Phil Klotzbach of Colorado State University. There have been four simultaneous hurricanes in August and September.

Still, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said her agency is prepared to deal with the coming storm, trying to position resources before Milton barrels into Florida.

“We are working with the state there to understand what their requirements will be so that we can have them before landfall,” she said.

But federal disaster assistance has surpassed $137 million since Helene struck more than a week ago, one of the largest mobilizations of personnel and resources in recent history, FEMA said Sunday.

Approximately 1,500 active-duty troops, more than 6,100 National Guardsmen and nearly 7,000 federal workers have been deployed, shipping more than 14.9 million meals, 13.9 million gallons of water, 157 generators and 505,000 sails, along with approving more than $30 million in housing and other assistance for more than 27,000 households, according to FEMA, the White House and the Department of Defense.

More than 800 people who cannot return home are staying in shelters provided by FEMA and 22 shelters continue to house nearly 1,000 people while mobile food operations continue to assist survivors.

The response to Helene will not slow down during Milton and its aftermath because FEMA has the capacity to handle multiple disasters simultaneously, the agency said.

“My administration is sparing no resources to support families as they begin to rebuild,” President Biden said. “We will continue to work hand-in-hand with local and state leaders – regardless of political party and however long it takes.”