成人X站

Hurricane Milton will make landfall along Florida’s Gulf Coast around 5:30 p.m. PT according to the latest models.

“Tornadic supercells” are beginning to sweep across the southern portion of the state.

An apparent tornado touched down in a Fort Myers neighborhood near Page Field Airport. It happened Wednesday afternoon, well in advance of Hurricane Milton鈥檚 arrival. Trees limbs were snapped off, the canopy from a gas station was torn to shreds; pieces of it littered the road, and an ice machine was thrown about 30 feet (9 meters).

The neighborhood has branches from trees strewn across the road. The area remains in a tornado watch throughout the day.

The Tampa Bay area is expecting historic devastation. The area has been able to avoid direct hits by a major hurricane for over 100 years.

One Florida man hunkers down to test house built to withstand hurricanes

Christian Burke and his mother Patty are hunkering down in their three-story, poured concrete home overlooking the bay.

Burke said his father, a builder by trade, designed this home with a Category 5 hurricane in mind 鈥� and now they鈥檙e going to test it.

As a police vehicle drove by blaring an announcement urging residents to evacuate, Burke acknowledged staying isn鈥檛 a good idea and said he鈥檚 鈥渘ot laughing at this storm one bit鈥� 鈥� he just believes the house his father built will withstand it.

Listen to a Sarasota resident who told 成人X站 Newsradio’s Gee and Ursula he’s going to ride it out.

Here鈥檚 the latest:

Manatee County officials warn residents who haven鈥檛 evacuated the area that it鈥檚 now too late

鈥淲here you are now is where you are going to be during the duration of Milton,鈥� said the county鈥檚 chief of emergency management, Matt Myers. 鈥淭he conditions are rapidly getting worse.鈥�

Myers said EMS and fire protection are no longer responding to the county鈥檚 islands and bridges are closed.

Officials said they expect the hurricane to make landfall in the area overnight. They urged citizens sheltering in place to stay in the center of their home and make sure their devices are charged.

Gov. DeSantis: 鈥業f you are in the path of this storm, you are most likely going to lose power鈥�

More than 50,000 power line workers from as far away as California are now in the state and gearing up to help restore electricity, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said.

鈥淚f you are in the path of this storm, you are most likely going to lose power,鈥� DeSantis said at a Wednesday afternoon briefing in Lake City. 鈥淎ll these folks are going to be brought to bear to get the power back on as soon as possible.鈥�

President Biden, Vice President Harris and top federal officials warn that Milton could cause historic devastation

鈥淚t鈥檚 looking like the storm of the century,鈥� Biden said during a Wednesday briefing.

Although evacuating can be difficult, he urged residents to listen to local officials, calling it 鈥渓iterally a matter of life and death.鈥�

The briefing, which was held at the White House complex, was intended to highlight safety concerns and demonstrate that the administration was prepared for Milton.

鈥淢any of you I know are tough, and you鈥檝e ridden out these hurricanes before,鈥� Harris said. 鈥淭his one is going to be different.鈥�

Milton could cost insurers more than Helene

Milton could be the first hurricane in more than 100 years to directly hit the Tampa Bay area, home to more than 3 million people.

Insured losses could reach in the tens of billions of dollars at least, with the potential for more than $75 billion in losses if the storm directly hits Tampa as a Category 3 or stronger storm, according to an estimate from BMO Capital Markets.

Milton will be making landfall in the wake of Hurricane Helene, which wreaked havoc across Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and the Carolinas. Helene hit a much less-populated area in the region. Inland areas at higher elevations, especially in western North Carolina, faced catastrophic flooding and many of homeowners lacked flood insurance. That will limit the number of claims to be paid out.

The ratings agency Moody鈥檚 estimates insured losses from Helene could reach up to $14 billion. Flood insurance is typically excluded from most homeowners鈥� policies and the U.S. government administers most of the nation鈥檚 flood insurance. Moody鈥檚 estimates the National Flood Insurance Program鈥檚 losses from Helene could reach $2 billion.

Hurricane Katrina, which slammed into New Orleans and the surrounding Gulf Coast in 2005, was the costliest storm to ever hit the U.S. Insured losses measured $102 billion, after adjusting for inflation, according to the Insurance Information Institute. Insured losses from the Category 4 Hurricane Ian, which hit the West Coast of Florida in September 2022, were estimated in excess of $50 billion.

Surge from Hurricane Milton starting to appear in Cape Coral

Just after noon Wednesday, surge was already starting to appear along the harbor in Cape Coral, at the mouth of the Caloosahatchee River.

The water had moved well up the beach and was nearing the parking lot. A pier was within a foot of being submerged.

Heavy rains from bands associated with Hurricane Milton were bringing heavy rain and wind gusts up to 40 mph (64 kph).

In Lee County, the public safety director says the time to evacuate has passed

In Lee County, which includes Fort Myers about 95 miles (153 kilometers) southeast of Tampa, Public Safety Director Ben Abes said Wednesday that the county鈥檚 law enforcement, fire and emergency medical services will not respond to calls beginning later Wednesday when the weather worsens.

鈥淥ur area hospitals may also lock down, which would prevent access for … ambulances,鈥� Abes said.

Abes said tropical storm force winds were coming ashore and the time to evacuate has passed.

鈥淚t is not safe to be out and it is not safe to return to your home if you have evacuated,鈥� Abes said. 鈥淭he time to shelter in place is now.鈥�

Abes said the county鈥檚 13 shelters are housing more than 6,700 people.

St. Petersburg mayor says to prepare for a long recovery after Milton hits

St. Petersburg officials warned residents Wednesday afternoon that regardless of where the storm hits, the city should prepare for extended power outages and the possible shutdown of its sewerage system.

Mayor Ken Welch said residents should brace for a long recovery.

鈥淭his is the reality of a direct hit from a powerful hurricane in our area. This is not a storm that we will recover from quickly. We have a long road ahead of us, but we will recover and we will rebuild,鈥� Welch said. 鈥淏ut for the next several hours, our focus is to keep everyone safe, and we can do that.鈥�

At a shelter in St. Petersburg: 鈥楽leeping on the floor, that鈥檚 the hardest part for me鈥�

Trokon Nagbe and his husband Morris Kulp evacuated their one-story home in St. Petersburg to stay at the storm shelter at Gibbs High School, where as of Wednesday morning some 1,700 people were hunkering down.

The couple didn鈥檛 have damage from Hurricane Helene, but heard Hurricane Milton will be much worse and didn鈥檛 want to chance it. They wished they knew to bring their own cots though 鈥� the couple said evacuees are sleeping on the floor of the school鈥檚 classrooms.

鈥淪leeping on the floor, that鈥檚 the hardest part for me,鈥� Nagbe said.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not the Hilton or the Marriott,鈥� his husband Morris Kulp added, 鈥渂ut it sure is appreciated.鈥�

Pasco County officials say 鈥榯his is your last chance if you need to get to a shelter鈥�

Shortly before noon Wednesday, officials in Pasco County, home to more than 500,000 people in bedroom communities for Tampa and St. Petersburg, said they were getting ready to take buses off the roads.

鈥淭his is your last chance if you need to get to a shelter,鈥� the Pasco County Public Information Office said in a written statement. 鈥淎fter that, you鈥檒l need to find a way to the shelter or be prepared to ride out the storm.鈥�

The county has six shelters open for anyone in mandatory evacuation zones.

Vice President Kamala Harris warns against jacking up prices on people dealing with back-to-back hurricanes

鈥淭hose evacuating before Hurricane Milton or recovering from Hurricane Helene should not be subject to illegal price gouging or fraud 鈥� at the pump, airport, or hotel counter,鈥� she said in a statement Wednesday.

Harris said the federal government is tracking allegations and 鈥渨ill hold those taking advantage of the situation accountable.鈥�

President Joe Biden made a similar demand Tuesday.

鈥淚鈥檓 calling on the airlines and other companies to provide as much service as possible to accommodate evacuations and not to engage in price gouging, to just do it on the level,鈥� he said at the White House.

More than half of Florida鈥檚 school districts are closed in anticipation of Hurricane Milton

State education officials say some school buildings will be used as shelters for the storm throughout the affected region.

Among those closed is the Hillsborough County school district, where Tampa is located, which has about 224,000 students and is the nation鈥檚 seventh largest school district.

Colleges and universities also canceled classes, with some saying they would switch to remote learning later this week if they鈥檙e able to resume classes. Some schools outside the storm鈥檚 path, including the University of Miami, planned to take precautions by shifting to remote learning through Thursday.

In a neighborhood in Punta Gorda

A couple blocks from the Peace River, Ted Gjerde worked up a sweat Wednesday morning as he prepared his home for up to 12-feet of storm surge. His house sits on a 10-foot hill but that might not be enough protection.

The retiree has spent his life dealing with water 鈥� 23 years in the Navy running boilers followed by 20 years working at a nearby state water plant 鈥� so he had a plan. He had piled sandbags in front of his garage and put plywood and caulk on the interior of his doors.

鈥淗opefully, that should get me to 13 or 14 feet up,鈥� he said before giving a mock, 鈥淵ay.鈥�

He would spend the storm at the treatment plant, 25-feet above sea level, with his wife and their two German shepherds. His 1967 Chevy Camaro was already there.

Two weeks ago, Helene鈥檚 surge had unexpectedly gotten to the bottom of his garage door 鈥� a couple more feet and his classic car and his house would have been in trouble. Nearby homes that aren鈥檛 elevated got swamped.

鈥淲e got lucky, real lucky,鈥� Gjerde said.

Forecasters warn Milton could inflict wind and storm surge damage along the Georgia coast as it crosses Florida

Tropical storm warnings were issued as far north as Savannah, roughly 200 miles from the projected path of the hurricane鈥檚 center.

Storm surge of 2 to 4 feet was forecast for Georgia communities including St. Simons Island, home to nearly 16,000 people, and Tybee Island, which has population of 3,100. Wind gusts of up to 45 mph could break off large tree limbs, topple shallow-rooted trees and cause scattered power outages, according to the National Weather Service.

鈥榊ou can鈥檛 just hunker down with that鈥�

Gov. Ron DeSantis said to people choosing to remain home on barrier islands, 鈥渏ust know that if you get 10 feet of storm surge, you can鈥檛 just hunker down with that.鈥�

鈥淚f you鈥檙e on the southern part of this storm, you are going to get storm surge,鈥� DeSantis said.

鈥淚t鈥檚 churning massive amounts of water, and that water is going to come out,鈥� he added. 鈥淢an, if you鈥檙e anywhere in the eye or south, you are going to get major storm surge.鈥�

Emergency managers now plan to start working on damage prediction models

The models were developed before the storm, with plans specific to various parts of the state, said Kevin Guthrie, executive director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management.

The plans will be used to project where the most damage will likely be, based on the hurricane鈥檚 last position and movement at landfall, he said.

Gov. DeSantis described a wide range of resources to help respond to Milton

That includes 6,000 Florida National Guard members and 3,000 members of the National Guard from other states.

鈥淭his is the largest Florida National Guard search and rescue mobilization in the entire history of the state of Florida,鈥� he said during a Wednesday morning briefing.

There are 31,000 people in shelters and there鈥檚 room for nearly 200,000 people, 鈥渟o there is space available in these shelters,鈥� he said.

Climate change boosted Helene鈥檚 deadly rain and wind and scientists say the same is likely for Milton

Human-caused climate change boosted a devastating聽聽鈥檚 rainfall by about 10% and intensified its winds by about 11%, scientists said in a new flash study released just as a strengthening Hurricane Milton threatens the Florida coast less than two weeks later.

The warming climate boosted Helene鈥檚 wind speeds by about 13 mph (21 kph), and made the聽聽that fueled the storm 200 to 500 times more likely,聽聽calculated Wednesday from Europe. Ocean temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico were about 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit (2 degrees Celsius) above average, WWA said.

鈥淗urricane Helene and the storms that were happening in the region anyway have all been amplified by the fact that the air is warmer and can hold more moisture, which meant that the rainfall totals 鈥� which, even without climate change, would have been incredibly high given the circumstances 鈥� were even higher,鈥� Ben Clarke, a study co-author and a climate researcher at Imperial College London, said in an interview.

Milton will likely be similarly juiced, the authors said.

The scientists warned that continued burning of fossil fuels will lead to more hurricanes like Helene, with 鈥渦nimaginable鈥� floods well inland, not just on coasts. Many of those who died in Helene fell victim to massive inland flooding, rather than high winds.

Read more about .

鈥業t鈥檚 a ghost town around here鈥�

In Charlotte Harbor, about two blocks from the water, Josh Parks spent Wednesday morning packing his Kia sedan with his clothes and other belongings from his small triplex apartment.

The clouds were swirling and the winds had begun to gust. Two weeks ago, Helene鈥檚 surge brought about 5 feet (1.5 meters) of water to the neighborhood, its streets still filled with waterlogged furniture, torn out drywall and other debris.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a ghost town around here,鈥� said Parks, an auto technician.

His roommate had already fled and Parks wasn鈥檛 sure when he would be back.

鈥淚 told her to pack like you aren鈥檛 coming back,鈥� said Parks, who was fleeing to his daughter鈥檚 inland home.

In Sarasota, emergency officials urgently warned people who live near bodies of water to leave immediately

鈥淲e鈥檝e seen a lot of questions about, 鈥榳ell I live on a creek,鈥� or 鈥業 live on a river, is it really going to get 10 to 15 feet where I live?,鈥欌�� Sarasota County Emergency Management Chief Sandra Tapfumaneyi said in a briefing early Wednesday.

鈥淭hat storm surge is going to start at 10 or 15 feet near the coastline and then it鈥檚 going to travel,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd storm surge likes to go on the path of least resistance. So those of you that live near a river, that live near a creek, those river banks, their water will come up.鈥�

鈥淲e do not want you staying in your home if you鈥檙e anywhere near a body of water,鈥� Tapfumaneyi said.

鈥淭his is going to be an intense disaster for Sarasota County,鈥� she added. 鈥淓vacuate now if you have not done so already.鈥�

Contributing: Bill Kaczaraba, My Northwest

The Associated Press聽