Evacuations and storm preparations began on Sunday night as forecasters projected that Hurricane Milton would slam into Florida’s west coast on Wednesday as a major hurricane packing life-threatening winds and storm surge.
Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida said in a news conference Sunday evening that a “flurry” of evacuation orders would be issued over the next 24 hours.
He encouraged residents on the southwest part of the west coast to leave ahead of the mandatory orders.
“Do not make inferences that somehow you’re going to be in the clear,” he said. “The entire peninsula, the entire west coast, has the potential to have major, major impact because of the storm surge.”
Hurricane Milton is expected to make landfall in the Tampa Bay area as a Category 3 hurricane on Wednesday.
Forecasters predict heavy rain could bring flash flooding and life-threatening storm surges. Milton could also pack winds of more than 100 miles per hour if the hurricane strengthens to a category 3 or higher.
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Source: Elections - nytimes.com
