milton storm

 

Hurricane Milton live updates: Florida makes last-minute prep before 'catastrophic' storm hits

The dangerous storm is expected to make landfall late tonight or early tomorrow near Sarasota.

What we know about Hurricane Milton

• The powerful and "catastrophic" storm, currently a Category 4 hurricane, is expected to make landfall late tonight, according to the National Hurricane Center. An NBC News forecast predicts landfall slightly later, sometime between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. tomorrow, somewhere near Sarasota.
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• Storm sorge Warning  cover almost the entirety of Florida’s western coast and there are storm warnings across much of the state, including the east coast. An area of coastline between Tampa and Fort Myers could see inundation of up to 15 feet.
• At 8 a.m. ET, Milton was 250 miles southwest of Tampa, with sustained winds of 155 mph, and is moving northeast at 16 mph.
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• This storm will track across Florida from west to east. In Orlando and the surrounding area, forecasters warned of up to 15 inches of rain and said the city and the region face an “extreme flooding rain threat.”
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• Locals on Florida's Gulf Coast still reeling from Helene are expressing their fears over Milton's landfall, forecast to bring double the storm surge and even stronger winds that could turn flying debris into "weapons."

• “We want to leave, but we really want to stay. We’re being told that we need to leave, but we’re scared. Are we making the right decision?” he said. “I think Florida has been dodging stuff like this for years and it’s just our time now.”

  Another local, Reece Atilla, said Helene was enough to shake him. “At one point there, I was on the roof and saw the water coming from here. I thought of Katrina. I’m like 'Oh my God. This is real,'” he told the affiliate.

  Atilla says it’s still worth evacuating, despite the damage Milton could bring to homes.  “You can replace cars, you can replace homes, but you’re not going to replace your life or loved ones,” he said.

  Meanwhile in St. Petersburg, mandatory evacuations are in place as winds over 100 mph are forecast to hit the area, in addition to storm surge.

  Ariel Dalmou said he and his family escaped Helene when floodwaters reached the bottom of the home's windows.

  “We escaped by the side window, I had two kayaks there,” Dalmau told WFLA. “We went all the way to, next to Taco Bell.”

  However, yesterday there was still much debris from Helene yet to be removed from his neighborhood. “All this garbage out here [is] going to be like a weapon for this hurricane,” Dalmau said.

  Evacuations are still underway before Milton makes landfall. In Clearwater, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office issued a purple alert  for missing man Robert Shank, 58, last seen early this morning around 1. a.m. in the backyard of his home.