By Evaristo Lara
09 Oct 2024, 09:36 AM EDT
Hurricane Miltonwhich lost strength and was already classified as category 4, It continues its journey towards the Florida Gulf Coast and is expected to impact at nightfall.
So far, the storm has sustained winds of 160 mph and a diagonal path that will have the hurricane making landfall between 20 and 25 miles south, closer to the Sarasota area.
The National Hurricane Center warned in an advisory that a large area of destructive storm surge is expected when the hurricane makes landfall.with peak flooding of 10 feet or more, along a portion of the west-central coast of the Florida peninsula.
“If you are in the storm surge warning area, this is a life-threatening situation and you should evacuate as soon as possible if ordered by local officials.
Rainfall of between 15 and 30 centimeters, with localized totals of up to 45 centimeters, is expected in the central and northern parts of the Florida peninsula through Thursday.
“Such rainfall carries the risk of catastrophic and life-threatening flash and urban flooding, along with moderate or major river flooding,” it said in a statement.
Although the meteor began to turn toward the northeast during the night of Tuesday, it is possible that there will be small changes in its trajectory before making landfall this Wednesday.
As a precaution, authorities have urged nearly 6 million people who live in the area where the highest risk of impact is projected to evacuate and get to safety.
This action represents one of the largest evacuations in the history of Florida, which caused since yesterday that the main communication routes leaving the point of highest risk have become congested and to this we must add that a good part of the gas stations ran out of fuel. .
Previously, Jane Castor, Mayor of Tampa, asked citizens affected by Hurricane Helen to put aside repairs to their homes and evacuate since the swells were already beginning to be reflected on the coast and this anticipates the magnitude of water that could flood certain areas of the state.
“You don’t have to go to another state, you just have to get to higher ground. This will be an event like no other.
I have said many times that if you want to fight Mother Nature, she wins 100% of the time. And the people who are in these situations, let’s say they are in a one-story house. The height of the house is 12 feet. So, if you are in it, you know that basically that is the coffin you are in,” he warned.
Keep reading:
• “If they stay, they are going to die”: the emergency in Florida before the arrival of dangerous Hurricane Milton
• What time will Hurricane Milton make landfall in Florida?
• Hurricane Milton in Florida: one of the worst storms in 100 years