By Patricia Mazzei, Jacey Fortin, Claire Moses and Judson Jones
Millions of people on Florida’s Gulf Coast clogged highways and drained gas pumps Tuesday as they headed for safer ground, in an exodus that could be one of the largest evacuations in state history ahead of Hurricane Milton.
The monster storm exploded Monday into one of the most powerful hurricanes on record. Everyone from local officials to President Joe Biden urged vulnerable residents to flee as it bore down on the Tampa Bay region, a metro area of about 3 million people that hasn’t taken a direct hit from a hurricane in more than a century.
As of early Tuesday, 11 counties had issued mandatory evacuation orders for coastal and low-lying areas, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which said 5.5 million people were affected by the orders. The number of counties and people in evacuation areas has been steadily rising throughout the day.
Milton, the strongest storm in the Gulf of Mexico since 2005, was expected to make landfall Wednesday, bringing life-threatening hazards to the state for the second time in less than two weeks after Helene swept through.
From the White House on Tuesday morning, President Joe Biden called Hurricane Milton “a matter of life and death’’ and urged Floridians to “evacuate now, now, now.”
Here’s what we’re covering:
— Where it’s going: Milton brought strong winds and storm surge to the northern coast of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula overnight. Though its wind speeds had come down some — Milton was a Category 4 hurricane by late Tuesday morning, with 150 mph winds — it has expanded in size. “We must be prepared for a major, major impact to the west coast of Florida,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said.
— Tampa’s high risk: The densely populated Tampa Bay region, which is highly vulnerable to storm surge, hasn’t had a direct hit from a major hurricane since 1921. Mayor Jane Castor of Tampa told residents to prepare for “an event like none other” and said on CNN that if they chose to stay in a mandatory evacuation zone, “You’re going to die.”
— Florida prepares: DeSantis urged residents to evacuate and finish their emergency preparations Tuesday. “There’s no guarantee what the weather is going to be like Wednesday morning,” he said. Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando remained open, though other Florida parks announced closures.
— Emergency aid: DeSantis said he had spoken with Biden late Monday about what the state needed to prepare. “Everything that we’ve asked for, the administration has approved,” DeSantis said.
— FEMA shortages: Stretched thin by Hurricane Helene’s devastation in southern Appalachia, as well as by floods, wildfires, tornadoes and other disasters elsewhere, FEMA now has less than 10% of its personnel available to deploy.
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