OCTOBER 23, 2024:
BRADENTON BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Hurricane Milton’s devastating landfall along Florida’s Gulf Coast hit one of the most popular areas for temporary residents who spend the winter months living in the Sunshine State. The “snowbird” season generally runs from after Halloween to around Easter. Florida gets more temporary residents each season than any other U.S. state. Some Florida residents, like contractor Larry West, are warning tourists to stay away since they will get in the way of recovery efforts. Others, like Clearwater Mayor Bruce Rector, are welcoming the snowbirds with open arms. He says it may not be perfect but the experience will be similar to what they’ve always had.
OCTOBER 11, 2024:
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Rescue teams are plucking Florida residents from the flotsam of Hurricane Milton after the storm smashed through coastal communities. The storm tore homes into pieces, filled streets with mud and spawned a barrage of deadly tornadoes. At least eight people are dead. Arriving just two weeks after the misery wrought by Hurricane Helene, the system also knocked out power to more than 3 million customers, flooded barrier islands, tore the roof off a baseball stadium and toppled a construction crane. Despite the destruction, many people expressed relief that Milton wasn’t worse. The hurricane spared Tampa a direct hit, and the lethal storm surge that scientists feared never materialized.
OCTOBER 10, 2024, UPDATE:
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Hurricane Milton is barreling into the Atlantic Ocean after plowing across Florida. The storm knocked out power to more than 3 million customers and whipped up a barrage of tornadoes. Milton caused at least four deaths and compounded the misery wrought by Helene while sparing Tampa a direct hit. The storm tracked to the south in the final hours and made landfall late Wednesday (Oct. 9, 2024) as a Category 3 storm in Siesta Key, about 70 miles south of Tampa. While it caused a lot of damage and water levels may continue to rise for days, Gov. Ron DeSantis said it was not “the worst-case scenario.”
OCTOBER 10, 2024:
Extended version:
OCTOBER 9, 2024:
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Hurricane Milton churned Wednesday (Oct. 9, 2024) toward a potentially catastrophic collision along the west coast of Florida, where some residents insisted they would stay after millions were ordered to evacuate and officials warned that stragglers would face grim odds of surviving.
The Tampa Bay area, home to more than 3.3 million people, faced the possibility of widespread destruction after avoiding direct hits from major hurricanes for more than a century. The National Hurricane Center predicted Milton, a Category 5 hurricane during much of its approach, would likely weaken but remain a major hurricane when it makes landfall late Wednesday or early Thursday.
“Milton has the potential to be one of the most destructive hurricanes on record for west-central Florida,” the center warned.
Milton was centered about 300 miles (485 kilometers) southwest of Tampa early Wednesday with maximum sustained winds of 160 mph (260 kph), the hurricane center reported. It was moving northeast at 14 mph (22 kph) early Wednesday and was expected to continue moving in that direction with an increase in its forward speed through Wednesday night, with landfall expected late Wednesday or early Thursday morning. It was expected to turn toward the east-northeast and east on Thursday and Friday.
Heavy rain was beginning to spread across parts of southwestern and west-central Florida ahead of Milton early Wednesday, and weather conditions were expected to deteriorate across parts of the Florida Gulf Coast throughout the day, the center said. Six to 12 inches (15 to 31 centimeters) of rain, with localized totals up to 18 inches (46 centimeters), were expected across central to northern portions of Florida through Thursday, bringing the risk of catastrophic and life-threatening flash and urban flooding, and moderate to major river flooding. Several tornadoes were likely Wednesday across parts of central and southern Florida.
Forecasters predicted the storm will retain hurricane strength as it crosses central Florida on Thursday on a path east toward the Atlantic Ocean. The hurricane’s precise track remained uncertain, as forecasters Tuesday evening nudged its projected path slightly south of Tampa.
Thousands of fleeing cars clogged Florida’s highways ahead of the storm, but time for evacuations was running out Wednesday. Tampa Mayor Jane Castor noted that up to 15 feet (4.5 meters) of storm surge forecast for her city would be deep enough to swallow an entire house.
“So if you’re in it, basically that’s the coffin that you’re in,” Castor said.
Milton targets communities still reeling two weeks after Hurricane Helene flooded streets and homes in western Florida along its devastating march that left at least 230 dead across the South.
In the bayside town of Punta Gorda, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) south of Tampa, streets were still filled Tuesday with 5-foot (1.5-meter) piles of soggy furniture, clothing, books, appliances and other trash dragged from damaged homes.
Many homes sat vacant, but accountant and art collector Scott Joiner remained on the second floor of the New Orleans-style home he built 17 years ago. Joiner said bull sharks swam in the flooded streets and a neighbor had to be rescued by canoe when Helene passed and flooded the first floor of his home.
“Water is a blessing to have,” Joiner said, “but it is very deadly.”
Joiner said he planned to go another round and ride out Milton, despite the risk.
Authorities have issued mandatory evacuation orders across 11 Florida counties with a combined population of about 5.9 million people, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates.
Officials have warned that anyone staying behind must fend for themselves, as first responders are not expected to risk their lives attempting rescues at the height of the storm.
In Riverview, south of Tampa, several drivers waiting in a long line for fuel Tuesday said they had no plans to evacuate.
“I think we’ll just hang, you know — tough it out,” said Martin Oakes, of nearby Apollo Beach. “We got shutters up. The house is all ready. So this is sort of the last piece of the puzzle.”
Others weren’t taking any chances after Helene.
On Anna Marie Island along the southern edge of Tampa Bay, Evan Purcell packed up his father’s ashes and was trying to catch his 9-year-old cat, McKenzie, as he prepared to leave Tuesday. Helene left him with thousands of dollars in damage when his home flooded. He feared Milton might take the rest.
“I’m still in shock over the first one and here comes round two,” Purcell said. “I just have a pit in my stomach about this one.”
State and local governments scrambled ahead of the storm to remove piles of debris left in Helene’s wake, fearing that the oncoming hurricane would turn loose wreckage into flying missiles. Gov. Ron DeSantis said the state deployed over 300 dump trucks that had removed 1,300 loads of debris.
In Mexico, authorities in the state of Yucatan reported minor damage from Milton as it passed just offshore. Power lines, light poles and trees were knocked down near the coast, and some small thatched-roof structures were destroyed, Yucatan Gov. Joaquín Díaz said. He did not report any deaths or injuries.
OCTOBER 7, 2024:
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Milton has strengthened into a Category 3 hurricane as Florida gears up for what could be its biggest evacuation in seven years. The major hurricane is moving over the Gulf of Mexico and headed toward population centers including Tampa and Orlando. The National Hurricane Center in Miami says Monday it has maximum sustained winds of 125 mph. Milton could make landfall Wednesday in the Tampa Bay area and remain a hurricane as it moves across central Florida toward the Atlantic Ocean. It comes less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene caused deaths and catastrophic damage in Florida and well inland.
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