Pasco County leaders order evacuations, offer free rides to shelters ahead of Milton

NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. (WFLA) — Pasco County leaders and elected officials spoke Tuesday morning ahead of Hurricane Milton from the Emergency Operations Center.

“We’ve never seen a storm like this in our lifetime,” officials said.

Residents are asked to evacuate immediately, as flooding and debris from Helene pose an additional, major threat. Mandatory evacuations are in place for zones A, B, and C, and for those in mobile homes. Find your evacuation zone here .

“This is not a game, this is going to be your life.”

Officials advise residents to tell loved ones where they will be during the storm, and how long they’ll be there.

Shelters are open, and free rides to those shelters are available. Customer service for these rides can be reached at 727-847-2411 to get in contact with the right people.

• Sunlake High School (3023 Sunlake Boulevard, Land O’ Lakes)
• Fivay High School (12115 Chicago Ave, Hudson, FL 34669)
• River Ridge Middle/High School (11646 Town Center Rd, New Port Richey, FL 34654)
• Thomas Weightman Middle School (30649 Wells Rd #3903, Wesley Chapel, FL 33545)
• Centennial Middle School (38505 Centennial Rd, Dade City, FL 33525)
• Fasano Regional Shelter – Special needs only (11611 Denton Ave, Hudson, FL 34667)

Starlink operations will be placed around the county for internet service following the storm, officials announced.

According to the National Hurricane Center’s 11 a.m. update, Hurricane Milton is a Category 4 storm with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph.

Located about 520 miles southwest of Tampa, Milton is expected to take a turn toward the northeast on Tuesday and Wednesday.

For additional information on Pasco County updates, visit their emergency management site here .

WFLA live streamed the press conference at 11:30 a.m., which can be viewed in the video player above.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA.