{"id":112294,"date":"2024-10-09T22:08:03","date_gmt":"2024-10-09T15:08:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=112294"},"modified":"2024-10-09T22:08:03","modified_gmt":"2024-10-09T15:08:03","slug":"hurricane-milton-thousands-evacuate-as-monstrous-category-5-storm-closes-in-on-florida","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=112294","title":{"rendered":"Hurricane Milton: Thousands evacuate as monstrous Category 5 storm closes in on Florida"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>TAMPA, Fla. (AP) \u2014 Steady rain fell and winds began to gust in the Tampa Bay area Wednesday morning as a mighty <span class=\"LinkEnhancement\"><a class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/milton-florida-hurricane-d40b1e47fd78844bf1ed528bab5099f1\">Hurricane Milton<\/a><\/span> churned toward <span class=\"LinkEnhancement\"><a class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/climate-change-hurricane-helene-science-fatalities-8a0d4f072669fd1d0031a23d7fc4b29c\">a potentially catastrophic collision<\/a><\/span> with the west coast of Florida, where some residents insisted they would stay even after millions were ordered to evacuate. Stragglers face grim odds of surviving, officials said.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"LinkEnhancement\"><a class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/hurricane-milton-tampa-bay-ace324900762a0e3c385830f3cf1479b\">The Tampa Bay region<\/a><\/span>, home to more than 3.3 million people, hasn\u2019t seen a direct hit from a major hurricane in more than a century. Milton fluctuated between categories 4 and 5 <span class=\"LinkEnhancement\"><a class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/hurricane-milton-florida-tampa-7678939c52fdf00da748937d22df1fac\">as it approached,<\/a><\/span> but regardless of the distinction in wind speeds, the National Hurricane Center said, it would be a major and extremely dangerous storm when its center makes landfall late Wednesday or early Thursday.<\/p>\n<div class=\"HTMLModuleEnhancement\" data-align-center=\"\">\n<div class=\"HTMLModuleEnhancement-item\">\n<div class=\"HTMLModuleEnhancement-embed\">\n<div class=\"HtmlModule\" data-module-tracksubscribe=\"\" data-gtm-topic=\"No Value\">\n<p>    <a class=\"AnchorLink\" id=\"html-embed-module-df0000\"\/><\/p>\n<p>    <iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/interactives.ap.org\/hurricane-tracker\/?lat=27&amp;lon=-81&amp;zoom=6&amp;apnews=true\" class=\"ap-embed\" width=\"100%\" height=\"655px\" style=\"border: 1px solid #eee;\"><br \/>\n <!-- The following message will be displayed to users with unsupported browsers: --><br \/>\n Your browser does not support the <code>iframe<\/code> HTML tag.<br \/>\n Try viewing this in a modern browser like Chrome, Safari, Firefox or Internet Explorer 9 or later.<br \/>\n<\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\u201cThis is it, folks,\u201d said Cathie Perkins, emergency management director in Pinellas County, which sits on the peninsula that forms Tampa Bay. \u201cThose of you who were punched during Hurricane Helene, this is going to be a knockout. You need to get out, and you need to get out now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Major bridges around Tampa Bay planned to close in the afternoon, she said, and public shelters were open for evacuees. Residents should not feel relief because of indications Milton\u2019s center might come ashore south of Tampa, she said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEverybody in Tampa Bay should assume we are going to be ground zero,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>The normally busy interstate leading into downtown Tampa was mostly free of vehicles early Wednesday. Few cars moved on side streets. Drivers hoping to top off tanks were hard-pressed to find stations that weren\u2019t closed or boarded up. Many had plastic-wrapped their fuel pumps to keep nozzles from whipping around in hurricane-force winds.<\/p>\n<p>In Hillsborough County, where Tampa is located, Sheriff Chad Chronister urged residents in a Facebook video to finalize their plans: \u201cMy message is simple. We\u2019re approaching that 11th hour. If you need to get someplace safe for whatever reason, the time to do so is now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>At a news conference in Tallahassee, Gov. Ron DeSantis described deployment of a wide range of resources, including 9,000 National Guard members from Florida and other states; over 50,000 utility workers from as far as California; and highway patrol cars with sirens to escort gasoline tankers to replenish supplies so people could fill up their tanks before evacuating.<\/p>\n<p>Milton was centered about 230 miles (365 kilometers) southwest of Tampa on Wednesday morning, with maximum sustained winds of 155 mph (250 kph), just 2 mph (3 kph) shy of Category 5 status, the hurricane center reported. It was moving northeast at 16 mph (26 kph) and was expected to continue moving in that direction with an increase in its forward speed through Wednesday night.<\/p>\n<p>In Charlotte Harbor, about two blocks from the water and about 100 miles (160 kilometers) south of Tampa, clouds swirled and winds gusted as Josh Parks packed his Kia sedan with clothes and other belongings Wednesday morning. Two weeks ago, Helene\u2019s surge brought about 5 feet of water to the neighborhood, and its streets remain filled with waterlogged furniture, torn-out drywall and other debris.<\/p>\n<p>Parks, an auto technician, planned to flee to his daughter\u2019s home inland and said his roommate already left.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI told her to pack like you aren\u2019t coming back,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"LinkEnhancement\"><a class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/fema-misinformation-helene-milton-hurricane-aid-recovery-468b036784b1db05937e9a34d0146041\">Milton targets communities<\/a><\/span> still reeling two weeks after <span class=\"LinkEnhancement\"><a class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/hurricane-helene-fema-826effecab238ff0acf0556ad64b0df2\">Helene<\/a><\/span> flooded streets and homes in western Florida along its devastating march that left at least 230 dead across the South. In many places along the coast, municipalities raced to collect and dispose of debris before Milton\u2019s winds and storm surge \u2014 projected to reach as high as 12 feet (3.6 meters) in Tampa Bay and up to 15 feet (4.5 meters) farther south, between Sarasota and Fort Myers \u2014 could toss it around and compound any damage.<\/p>\n<p>Heavy rain began to spread across parts of southern Florida on Wednesday, with conditions expected to deteriorate throughout the day, the center said. Six to 12 inches (15 to 31 centimeters) of rain, with up to 18 inches (46 centimeters) in some places, was expected well inland, bringing the risk of <span class=\"LinkEnhancement\"><a class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/hurricane-milton-hospitals-nursing-homes-evacuations-prepare-c4146bee8f78a4769ba5829b4538f10e\">catastrophic flooding.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p>A tornado touched down Wednesday morning in the lightly populated Everglades area of South Florida. The National Weather Service <span class=\"LinkEnhancement\"><a class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/NWSMiami\/status\/1844017185817342101\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">posted a photo<\/a><\/span> on the social platform X of the funnel crossing the highway. Forecasters had warned tornadoes were likely.<\/p>\n<p>Milton is expected to retain hurricane strength as it crosses central Florida on Thursday toward the Atlantic Ocean. The precise track remained uncertain, but as of Wednesday morning, Milton\u2019s center was expected to make landfall somewhere around Tampa Bay. The highest storm surge is expected to occur at and south of the landfall location, the hurricane center said.<\/p>\n<p>Sarasota County Emergency Management Chief Sandra Tapfumaneyi said that 11 emergency shelters were open there and that pets were welcome. Warning that this would be an \u201cintense disaster\u201d for the county, she urged people living on boats and in mobile and manufactured homes to leave: \u201cWe don\u2019t want you staying in those structures. They will not do well in this storm with the high winds.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Tapfumaneyi also urgently warned people who live near bodies of water to leave immediately. Those areas saw flooding from Hurricane Debby last year and in 2022 from Hurricane Ian. She warned that the surge would travel up from the shore into rivers and creeks \u201con the path of least resistance.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Authorities have issued mandatory evacuation orders across 11 Florida counties with a combined population of about 5.9 million people. Officials warned that anyone staying behind must fend for themselves, with first responders not expected to risk their lives attempting rescues at the height of the storm.<\/p>\n<p>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 homes damaged by Helene not two weeks before.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWater is a blessing to have,\u201d Joiner said, \u201cbut it is very deadly.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Joiner said he planned to ride out Milton, despite the risk. But others weren\u2019t taking any chances after Helene.<\/p>\n<p>On Anna Maria Island along the southern edge of Tampa Bay, Evan Purcell packed up his father\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m still in shock over the first one and here comes round two,\u201d Purcell said. \u201cI just have a pit in my stomach about this one.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>___<\/h2>\n<p>Spencer reported from Fort Myers Beach. Contributing to this report were Associated Press journalists Curt Anderson, Mike Stewart and Kate Payne in Tampa; Freida Frisaro in Fort Lauderdale; Russ Bynum in Savannah, Georgia; Seth Borenstein in Washington and Mark Stevenson in Mexico City.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script>\n  window.fbAsyncInit = function() {\n      FB.init({\n              appId : '870613919693099',\n          xfbml : true,\n          version : 'v2.9'\n      });\n  };\n  (function(d, s, id){\n     var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];\n     if (d.getElementById(id)) {return;}\n     js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id;\n     js.src = \"https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js\";\n     fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);\n   }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1660802\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/hurricane-milton-tampa-florida-08bde4b9c29460f471d43c6512821c93\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>TAMPA, Fla. (AP) \u2014 Steady rain fell and winds began to gust in the Tampa Bay area Wednesday morning as a mighty Hurricane Milton churned toward a potentially catastrophic collision &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=112294\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8629],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-112294","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-u-s","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112294","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=112294"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112294\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=112294"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=112294"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=112294"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}