Hurricane Milton regains strength, barrels toward Florida

Storm surge from Hurricane Milton could reach 15 feet, the National Hurricane Center forecasts. (Graphic via National Hurricane Center)

Update: The Florida Highway Patrol will continue escorting fuel trucks to gas stations along the Gulf Coast ahead of Hurricane Milton’s landfall on Wednesday night, Gov. Ron DeSantis said during a press conference Tuesday afternoon.

While fuel is no longer coming into Port Manatee and the Port of Tampa Bay, the governor said that the fuel already on the dockside will be sent to the areas expecting impact. More than 1 million gallons of diesel and gas are en route to the state.

“I know there’s been a lot of lines at gas stations. You obviously have an inordinate demand for fuel, much more than would typically happen,” DeSantis said during the press conference in Ocala. “What’s happening is there’s long lines. The gas stations run out of fuel, but the fuel supply is available.”

The governor and other officials handling the emergency preparations for the Category 5 hurricane urged people in evacuation zones to seek shelter today. Department of Transportation Secretary Jared Perdue said that I-4, connecting Tampa with Daytona Beach, was back to regular traffic, but I-75 still had 20% to 30% more congestion than normal as people headed north. DOT plans to provide roadside assistance, including fuel for stranded cars and other vehicles, until it is unsafe to do so.

“Please do not wait until the last minute. It can be very dangerous to drive with heavy rain and high winds,” Perdue said. “Every storm season, we end up seeing traffic fatalities for people who wait for the last minute to leave. If you’re wondering, ‘Should I evacuate?’ Go ahead and evacuate while you still have time.”

The transportation secretary warned that bridges and causeways would close when winds exceed 40 miles per hour.

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The Tampa Bay region is expected to face 10-15 feet of peak storm surge from Hurricane Milton, projected to make landfall Wednesday night.

The storm was a “very strong Category 5” Monday dropping to a Category 4 overnight and ratcheted back up to a Category 5 Tuesday afternoon.

The 10-15 feet storm surge is expected from the Pasco-Pinellas county line to Manatee and Sarasota counties, Gov. Ron DeSantis said during a briefing on the storm Tuesday morning.

“A lot of the places on the west coast of Florida that did receive significant storm surge for Hurricane Helene is projected to have even more storm surge from Hurricane Milton,” DeSantis said.

A hurricane warning extends across central Florida and a tropical storm warning is in effect above and below the hurricane warning, National Hurricane Center forecasts indicate.

The National Hurricane Center urged Floridians to “use today to prepare for Milton’s arrival and evacuate if told to do so by local officials.”

The storm surge could be the highest recorded in a coastal spot DeSantis said is a “vulnerable area to the surge.” DeSantis grew up in Pinellas County.

Evacuation orders are in effect for Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Collier, Desoto, Glades, Hardee, Hernando, Hillsborough, Lee, Levy, Manatee, Marion, Miami-Dade, Okeechobee, Pasco, Pinellas, Putnam, Sarasota, Sumter, and Volusia counties. The zones and extent of evacuations can be viewed on the Florida Division of Emergency Management website .

The federal government has granted everything Florida has asked for, DeSantis said Monday and Tuesday.

The governor said he spoke over the phone with President Joe Biden Monday evening, and the president told him to call or send a letter if there is more the federal government can do.

Director of Emergency Management Kevin Guthrie said he will send a letter Tuesday asking the Federal Emergency Management Agency for a waiver to offer guaranteed daily rates to attract debris haulers from far away to assist after Milton hits.

The governor and Guthrie voiced concern that pay rates for contracted debris haulers would not be enough to draw haulers who would have to drive long distances, delaying recovery efforts from two major hurricanes.

DeSantis again threatened those who loot following disasters, calling Florida a “Second Amendment state.”

“If you think you’re going to go in and loot, you got another thing coming,” DeSantis said. “You go into somebody’s house after the storm passes, think that you’re going to be able to commit crimes, you’re going to get in really serious trouble and, quite frankly, you don’t know what’s behind that door in a second amendment state.”

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