Florida evacuates ahead of Hurricane Milton with 150mph storm worst in 100 years as officials warn ‘you will die’
THOUSANDS of people are evacuating Florida as a monster, life-threatening hurricane with 150 mph winds barrels towards the state.
Hurricane Milton's near-record winds and expected storm surge are set to bring destruction to areas already reeling from Helene's devastation 12 days ago.
"This is something that I have never seen in my life, and anyone who was born and raised in the Tampa Bay area has never seen this before."
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said the hurricane is already far stronger than predicted two days ago.
"This is a ferocious hurricane,"; DeSantis said.
"At the strength it is now, this is a really, really strong storm.
"The effects of that, not just from the storm surge but from wind damage and debris, will be really, really significant.
"Given the projected trajectory and strength of Hurricane Milton, President Biden is postponing his upcoming trip to Germany and Angola in order to oversee preparations for and the response to Hurricane Miltion, in addition to the ongoing response to the impacts of Hurricane Helene across the Southeast," White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told the outlet in a statement.
'ASTRONOMICAL' STROM
Liz Alpert, the mayor of Sarasota, one of the cities on Florida's Gulf Coast that is on the direct path of the hurricane, warned residents to evacuate.
"What everyone has been saying is you have to evacuate; it's not survivable to survive a 10 to 15-foot storm surge. It just simply isn't," Alpert told .
Forecasters warned of a possible 8-to-12-foot storm surge in Tampa Bay.
Milton's center could come ashore Wednesday in the Tampa Bay region, which has not endured a direct hit by a major hurricane in more than a century.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Scientists expect the system to weaken slightly before landfall, though it could retain hurricane strength as it churns across central Florida toward the Atlantic Ocean.
That would largely spare other states ravaged by Helene, which killed at least 230 people on its path from Florida to the Appalachian Mountains.