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Florida residents in the path of Hurricane Milton were instructed to take shelter Wednesday ahead of the massive storm’s imminent landfall. Milton brought destructive tornadoes, 28ft waves, strong winds, heavy rainfall, and storm surge, hours before it was expected to make landfall. More than 420,000 customers were without power across the Sunshine State, according to outage tracker PowerOutage.US.
While Milton’s intensity continues to fluctuate, weakening to a Category 3 hurricane on Wednesday afternoon, the National Hurricane Center predicts it will be “one of the most destructive hurricanes on record for west-central Florida”.
Federal and state officials have urged those in Milton’s path to evacuate to avoid “catastrophic” winds, up to 18in rainfall and up to 15ft of storm surge, before the major hurricane slams into Florida’s west-central coast.
Vice President Kamala Harris warned that even the toughest Floridians won’t weather the “historic” hurricane, she said on The Late Show on Tuesday night.
Sarasota Police Chief Rex Troche told CNN on Wednesday that officers will stay on the streets until Milton’s winds top 45mph.
“If people need help, we’re not going to be able to come to them,” he said.
Key Points
Watch live: Tampa, Florida braces for ‘catastrophic’ Hurricane Milton
Tracking Hurricane Milton: Where is storm now?
Giant tornado rips through Florida heartland as residents evacuate
Hurricane Milton’s center is 100 miles away from Tampa
Hundreds of thousands of Floridians lose power
‘Catastrophic flash flooding’ with threats to life, property expected around Tampa
01:13 , Julia Musto
The National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center warned of extreme rainfall from Tampa to the north-central Florida peninsula Wednesday, which is expected to result in “catastrophic flash flooding” with “considerable threats to life and property.
