Hurricane Milton live: ‘Storm of the century’ nears Florida as Tampa faces ‘impending catastrophe’ from storm surge
Multiple confirmed tornados tore across southern Florida as ‘storm of the century’ nears sunshine state
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Florida residents in the path of Hurricane Milton have received a last-ditch emergency alert to “GET OUT NOW” ahead of the storm making landfall on Wednesday night.
While Milton’s intensity continues to fluctuate, and again weakening to a Category 4 hurricane on Wednesday morning, the National Hurricane Center predicts it will be “one of the most destructive hurricanes on record for west-central Florida”.
The storm continues to grow in size and winds are expected to pick up on Florida’s west coast this afternoon, the NHC warned.
In Pinellas County’s latest emergency alert, officials pleaded with residents to “GET OUT NOW. THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE TO GET OUT BEFORE THE STORM.”
Federal and state officials have urged those in Milton’s path to evacuate to avoid “catastrophic” winds, up to 18in rainfall and up to 15ft of storm surge, before the major hurricane slams into Florida’s west-central coast.
“This is the 11th hour. If you’re in an evacuation zone, the time to get out is now,” Hillsborough County Sheriff Chard Chronister told CNN on Wednesday.
Vice President Kamala Harris warned that even the toughest Floridians won’t weather the “historic” hurricane, she said on The Late Show on Tuesday night.
Just in: Tornadoes ‘likely’ across Florida with central counties most at risk
Kamala Harris says even the toughest Floridians can’t wait out historic hurricane
Vice President Kamala Harris issued a stark warning that even toughest Floridians won't withstand Hurricane Milton.
The Democratic presidential nominee appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Tuesday night.
“The Hurricane that is about to hit Florida is extremely serious. And it is predicted to be historic in proportion, in terms of the damage it will cause. And I know a lot of tough Floridians that have waited out many hurricanes and may think they can do the same with this one,” Harris said.
“This one’s going to be different,” the vice president warned.
She continued: “I ask anyone who’s watching, if you’re in Florida in the predicted path, if you have a family member who might think they can wait it out, please get in touch with them and tell them it’s not going to be like the ones we’ve seen before. Please follow your local leader’s instructions. And if they’re telling you to evacuate, grab your stuff and get out.”
Just in: Milton again weakens to Cat. 4 hurricane but winds to pick up on Florida’s west coast
‘11th hour’ for Florida residents as Hurricane Milton races to west coast
A county sheriff has warned that Florida is fast approaching its “11th hour” before Hurricane Milton slams into the west-central coast on Wednesday evening.
“This is the 11th hour. If you’re in an evacuation zone, the time to get out is now,” Hillsborough County Sheriff Chard Chronister told CNN on Wednesday.
“We already saw some flooding out here early this morning. That’s only going to get worse. As this storm wobbles, we don’t know what kind of storm surge,” he said.
In a separate video posted by the sheriff’s department on X, Chronister added: “My message is simple: if you need to get someplace safe for whatever reason, the time to do so is now.”
Watch live: Tampa, Florida braces for ‘catastrophic’ Hurricane Milton
Watch live view of Tampa as Florida braces for ‘catastrophic’ Hurricane Milton
Watch a live view of Tampa on Wednesday (9 October) as Florida braces for “catastrophic” Hurricane Milton.
School closures: More doors shut at K-12 institutions across 49 Florida counties
More K-12 schools across Florida have been closed with institutions across 49 of 67 counties shutting their doors today in anticipation of Hurricane Milton making landfall on the state’s west-central coast.
The figure is up from yesterday, with schools from across 43 counties opting to close ahead of Milton slamming into the Sunshine State.
Just two of those schools are expected to reopen on Thursday after the storm makes its way to the east coast.
“The Florida Department of Education works closely with school districts before, during and after natural disasters to ensure they have the resources necessary to resume normal operations as quickly as possible. We will continue collaborating with district leadership to address questions as they arise,” a statement reads on the Florida Department of Education’s website.
How rumours are making FEMA's job difficult amid back to back hurricanes
The rumours surrounding Hurricane Helene are many. There are false claims that people taking federal relief money could see their land seized. Or that $750 is the most they will ever get to rebuild. Or that the agency's director, on the ground since the storm hit, was beaten up and hospitalised.
As the US agency tasked with responding to disasters, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has been fighting misinformation since Helene slammed into Florida nearly two weeks ago and brought a wide swath of destruction as it headed north.
Read more:
As FEMA prepares for Hurricane Milton, it battles rumors surrounding Helene recovery
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has been fighting misinformation since Helene slammed into Florida nearly two weeks ago
Watch: Terrifying moment Hurricane Hunters fly 'Miss Piggy' aircraft through eye of Milton
Tropical storm warning in place for Georgia
The National Hurricane Center has issued a tropical storm warning for the Georgia coast, according to its latest public advisory.
Tropical storm conditions (wind speeds between 39 to 73mph) are expected from Altamaha Sound to the Savannah River from Thursday.
A storm surge warning is also in place from north of Altamaha Sound to Edisto Beach in South Carolina.
Tropical storm conditions are expected in portions of South Carolina and the northwestern Bahamas on Thursday, the NHC said.
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