Hurricane Milton, a Category 5 storm, is expected to make landfall in Florida on Wednesday.
Over a million Floridians have been ordered to evacuate ahead of Hurricane Milton, a Category 5 storm that could be the worst in over a century.
Milton has rapidly intensified from a tropical storm to a Category 5 hurricane in just two days, surprising meteorologists. It is anticipated to make landfall near Tampa late on Wednesday.
“This could be the worst storm to hit Florida in over a century,” US President Joe Biden said on Tuesday.
Governor Ron DeSantis urged Floridians to take the storm seriously, warning that time is running out for safe evacuations.
“If you’re going to get out, get out now,” he said. “Almost every place on the west coast of Florida could get a major storm surge.”
Milton is “not survivable,” Liz Alpert, the mayor of Sarasota, told NBC News. “You have to evacuate.”
Parts of Florida are still recovering from Hurricane Helene, which made landfall less than two weeks ago. The Category 4 storm hit the Big Bend region near Tallahassee, causing major flooding in Georgia and the Carolinas.
Milton is a significantly stronger storm, with wind gusts exceeding 320 km/h and an unprecedented number of “lightning events,” according to meteorologists.
Residents are not the only ones fleeing the state. The Florida Aquarium in Tampa has moved its penguins, snakes, lizards, alligators, turtles, toads, and crabs to higher ground to protect them from flooding. The state bureau of corrections has evacuated 4,636 inmates from prisons and jails in the storm’s path.
Walt Disney World and Universal Studios theme parks have announced closures ahead of the storm, as its projected path will take it over Orlando.
Over 1,500 flights in and out of Florida scheduled for Wednesday have been canceled. Tampa International Airport closed on Tuesday, while Orlando International will cease operations on Wednesday morning.