Hurricane Milton is set to make landfall in Florida on Wednesday night (October 9). Per PEOPLE, the storm is currently gaining strength over the Gulf of Mexico. The National Hurricane Center has updated the category of the storm to Category 5 with winds reaching 160 MPH. Though the storm is expected to weaken as it touches down in Florida, residents are still warned to take Hurricane Milton with the utmost care and preparation.
Michael Brennan, director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Hurricane Center, issued the following warning through ABC News. "If you live in a storm surge evacuation zone and you're asked to leave by your local officials, please do that," Brennan suggests. "You don't have to drive hundreds of miles to get to a safe place. Often just tens of miles to get inland. Out of that evacuation zone, to a shelter, a friend or loved one's home."
Brennan also encouraged Florida residents to prepare disaster kits. Further, this includes nonperishable food, water, medicine, and batteries. Along Florida's west coast, the following counties are encouraged to evacuate: Charlotte, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, and Sarasota.
Hurricane Milton Set To Potentially Hit Florida As A Category 5 Storm
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is already in Florida, preparing for Hurricane Milton. According to an official statement from FEMA, the crews assembled are "six FEMA Incident Management Assistance Teams, five FEMA Urban Search & Rescue teams, three U.S. Coast Guard Swift Water Rescue teams, four HealthCare System Assessment Teams, two U.S Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) temporary power teams, USACE debris experts, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and wastewater experts, 300 ambulances and 30 High Water Vehicles with ladders from the Department of Defense."
The National Weather Service released the following warning across its social media pages. "Now a Category 5 Hurricane. If the storm stays on the current track, it will be the worst storm to impact the Tampa area in over 100 years. Please evacuate if told to do so. Complete all prep before tomorrow night."
"This is the real deal here with Milton. If you want to take on Mother Nature, she wins 100% of the time,' said Tampa's mayor, Jane Castor.
