Hurricane Milton is going to be “deadly and catastrophic”, officials are warning, as millions leave Florida ahead of the storm’s arrival
Milton – a category four storm – is expected to hit the Tampa area tonight, packing ferocious winds of up to 165mph (270km/h)
US President Joe Biden warned that leaving was a matter of “life and death”, as the state undertakes its largest evacuation effort in years
It comes less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene hit the Gulf Coast as a category four storm, killing at least 225 people across Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and North Carolina.
Hurricane Milton expected to strike at midnight
The most recent Hurricane Milton advisory from the National Hurricane Center has just come in.
It is now forecast to be at category three strength at landfall closer to 12am midnight (05:00 GMT), over southern Sarasota, Florida.
It has also increased in speed as it churns towards Florida, notching 17mph (10 km/h).
People fleeing hurricane say ‘it’s too risky to stay’ home
Sylvester Fernandes, 73, had thought he’d be able to wait out Milton from his home in Homestead, a small city on the southern edge of Miami’s suburbs where he lives with his wife in a mobile home.
But early in the morning on Wednesday, he and his wife were awoken by the sound of a warning for a tornado – which has since been spotted in other parts of Florida.
“At 4 o’clock, everything went dark…no internet, no nothing,” he tells the BBC. “It was really scary. It said go and find somewhere safe.”
He put the shutters down, turned off the electricity and the water and then he and his wife hit the road, driving into the heart of Miami to an evacuation centre.
Homestead will not get the worst of it, he says, but “it’s too risky to stay”.
Most of his neighbours have stayed behind, he says, shrugging. “They don’t want to leave home.”
What you need to know about Hurricane Milton
Hurricane Milton has been fluctuating between the top of the storm-scale for the past 24 hours but is currently heading towards Florida as a category four storm, with 155mph (250km/h) winds
Landfall is now forecast to be closer to midnight local time (05:00 GMT) over southern Sarasota, Florida, when Milton is projected to be a category-three storm
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has issued a tornado watch for most of southern Florida, with at least one twister spotted making its way across Interstate 95
51 counties are under a state of emergency and 31 have issued evacuation orders
Fema has stressed Milton is a “deadly and catastrophic storm”. It says 1,200 search and rescue personnel are ready to be deployed in the aftermath
Governor Ron DeSantis insists there is still time “to make decisions to protect your family” as he warns Florida is preparing for a major hit
The storm’s outer banks have already reached Florida’s coast with tropical storm-force winds and heavy rain to follow this afternoon.
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