Millions of Floridians have fled their homes as Category 4 hurricane Milton barreled towards the state’s southwest with sustained winds of 155 mph.
Gov. Ron DeSantis told residents of the western Gulf Coast that they still have time to evacuate before the landfall expected for late tonight or early tomorrow.
“Within the next 24 hours, you still have time to evacuate if you are in an evacuation zone, particularly if you’re in Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte, those areas. I mean this track can bounce around…you have time to do that,”
“Now conditions aren’t going to be great today…but the best option would probably be to evacuate within your county to one of the shelters.”
The governor hoped Milton would weaken before landfall but asserted that “there is high confidence that this hurricane is going to pack a major, major punch and do an awful lot of damage.”
“We are bracing and are prepared to receive a major hit,” he added.
Meanwhile, a tornado watch has been issued across half of the state affecting nearly 12 million residents from Tampa to Key Largo.
“You don’t have to go far, you just have to go to higher ground,” said Clearwater city manager Jennifer Poirrier.
“We’re continuing to encourage people that it is not too late to get out. If you’re in those low-lying areas and mandatory evacuation zones of A, B, and C, there is still time.”
“We’re planning for worst case scenario, which is devastating and which is why we’re telling people this is not the one to ride out.”
