Florida residents fill sandbags as Hurricane Milton approaches after Hurricane Helene

Florida residents filled sandbags as they prepared for Hurricane Milton's approach to the state this week.

The storm, which has rapidly strengthened on a path toward population centres including Tampa and Orlando, intensified to a Category 5 as of Monday, 7 October.

This category of storm means it has winds of more than 157mph (253 km/h).

Milton registered winds of 155 mph (249km/h) by 10am ET 720 miles southwest of Tampa, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The hurricane is racing towards areas already devastated by Hurricane Helene, which struck northern Florida on 26 September and caused more than 220 deaths across the Southeast.