TALLAHASSEE – Hurricane Milton strengthened into a Category 5 storm Monday, as Florida officials implored Gulf Coast residents to follow evacuation orders and utilities prepared for widespread power outages.
Gov. Ron DeSantis said Milton is expected to hit the state late Wednesday or early Thursday, bringing punishing winds and massive storm surge. While the exact path is unclear, it could hit the heavily populated Tampa Bay area and remain a hurricane as it crosses the state and exits into the Atlantic Ocean.
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During a news conference Monday morning, DeSantis and state Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie said it is vital for people to leave coastal areas — many of which sustained severe flooding in late September’s Hurricane Helene. The National Hurricane Center said storm surges could reach 8 to 12 feet from the Anclote River, north of Tampa, to Englewood, which is at the border of Charlotte and Sarasota counties.
“Don’t mess with the storm surge, and do what you need to do to keep yourself and your family safe,” DeSantis.
DeSantis said the state suspended tolls on highways in the Tampa Bay area, Central Florida and on Alligator Alley to help ease evacuations. Also, the state is taking steps such as preparing road shoulders to provide additional space for motorists to drive.
In information released at 5 p.m., the National Hurricane Center said Milton was a powerful Category 5 hurricane. The hurricane center said the storm is forecast to weaken before landfall but that it is “still likely to be a large and powerful hurricane at landfall in Florida, with life-threatening hazards at the coastline and well inland.”
As of noon, the storm had maximum sustained winds of 160 mph and was about 720 miles southwest of Tampa, according to the hurricane center.
Hurricane and storm-surge watches were in effect Monday morning for large swaths of Florida’s Gulf Coast. A hurricane watch was in effect from the Chokoloskee in Collier County to the mouth of the Suwannee River. A storm-surge watch was in effect from Flamingo in Monroe County to the mouth of the Suwannee River.
In addition to homes being damaged by flooding and wind, the hurricane is expected to knock out power across the state.
Duke Energy Florida, which provides electricity in areas such as St. Petersburg, Clearwater and around Orlando, said Monday it was preparing for more than 1 million power outages. It said it was mobilizing 10,000 workers, including crews from Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana, to help restore power after the storm.
“Based on the current track, Hurricane Milton will impact the most populated areas of our service territory,” Todd Fountain, Duke Energy Florida storm director, said in a prepared statement. “Despite extensive system improvements and rigorous tree trimming, the strong winds and flooding will cause power outages. Customers should expect significant damage and make immediate preparations for extended power outage durations.”
Similarly, Tampa Electric Co. said Sunday night it was bringing in thousands of workers to add to its crew members and contractors. Florida Power & Light said it was bringing in additional workers — but also noted difficulties because of the continued recovery from Hurricane Helene in states such as North Carolina.
“Right now, thousands of resources are responding to the dire situation in the Southeast U.S. following Hurricane Helene,” FPL said in a news release Sunday. “While that’s exactly where they should be, it could impact the resources available from utilities that typically support Florida. FPL is marshaling as many resources as it can into Florida to mitigate those impacts which includes bringing in lineworkers from as far away as the Western U.S.
Milton looms as many residents and businesses on the Gulf Coast continue trying to recover from Helene, which made landfall Sept. 26 as a Category 4 hurricane in Taylor County. Helene caused extensive damage in coastal areas, such as in the Tampa Bay region, as it moved up the Gulf of Mexico.
“I think it’s frustrating,” DeSantis said. “I think people just wanted to be done with hurricane season.”
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