The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will evacuate Florida this week ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Milton.
The hurricane – the second to hit the southeastern United States in two weeks – increased to a Category 4 early Monday as it headed toward Orlando and Tampa Bay – an area still reeling from Hurricane Helene last month.
With Hurricane Milton expected to make landfall in Florida on Wednesday, millions of residents on the state’s west coast have been warned to evacuate ahead of “life-threatening” three-metre storm surges and winds of up to 250 km/h rushing in.
The Buccaneers heeded the warnings and will flee the state on Tuesday ahead of their Week 6 NFL game against the New Orleans Saints over the weekend, according to Adam Schefter.
The franchise will make the trip to Louisiana days before Sunday’s game to avoid a Saturday flight that could be hit by the devastating destruction Milton could wreak.
Tampa Bay leaders were able to secure the necessary hotel rooms in The Big Easy to ensure their players and staff could make the trip safely and remain in the city beforehand.
More to follow.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers plan to evacuate Florida before the arrival of Hurricane Milton