TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida is facing the threat of another major hurricane making landfall in the state, prompting state emergency officials to prepare to evacuate potentially more than 6 million residents while the state still always recovers from the last direct hit.
Governor Ron DeSantis told reporters at the Florida Emergency Operations Center on Sunday that the state is now rushing to clean up the debris left behind by Hurricane Helene, which hit the state just 10 days ago. Tropical Storm Milton is expected to make landfall as a hurricane sometime along the state’s west coast sometime midweek, the National Weather Service forecast, bringing with it the threat of deadly coastal flooding, high winds and heavy rainfall.
Milton is expected to strengthen into a hurricane before landfall, and the storm could cause coastal flooding that could leave Tampa Bay under 10 feet of water. Milton has the potential to push even more Gulf water onto the coast than Helene, which affected a rural part of the state’s Big Bend region to the north. Despite Helene making landfall hundreds of miles away, communities along the Gulf Coast on the Florida peninsula were devastated by significant flooding.
However, Milton’s flooding will directly affect a much more populous part of the state as the storm moves east along Interstate 4 toward the Atlantic Ocean.
DeSantis said a direct hit on Tampa Bay would be the most challenging scenario for the state.
“The whole time I’ve been governor, you look at different scenarios, and probably the scenario that was challenging in terms of the damage would be a major hurricane moving into Tampa Bay just because it’s so vulnerable,” DeSantis said . “When you talk about Tampa Bay, and you talk about what even a 10-foot storm surge would do… the greater Tampa Bay area has millions of people.”
DeSantis was joined by Kevin Guthrie, director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, who said he expects millions of people to evacuate from the peninsula in the coming days as local emergency officials issue voluntary and mandatory orders. He expected efforts to rival Hurricane Irma in 2017, which led to the evacuation of more than 6.8 million people.
“I’m having the state’s emergency response team prepare for the largest evacuation we’ve seen — most likely — since Hurricane Irma of 2017,” Guthrie said.
Milton could become the second hurricane to hit Florida in less than two weeks after Helene made landfall along the coast south of Tallahassee, a relatively sparsely populated area. Helene slammed into the coast with 140 mph winds, devastating communities in Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
National Weather Service forecasters believe Tropical Storm Milton could hit Florida as a major hurricane as it steams toward the state from the western Gulf of Mexico. But the storm could still encounter dry air or other weather patterns that would limit Milton’s growth.
“Regardless of the details, there is increasing confidence that a powerful hurricane with life-threatening hazards will impact portions of the west coast of Florida by mid-week,” said a National Hurricane Center report released early Sunday. “Residents there should keep a close eye on this system and listen to local officials.”
The damage left by Hurricane Helene prompted President Joe Biden to order FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell to remain in North Carolina until recovery efforts are completed. But with Florida now facing Milton, Criswell said during a Sunday morning interview on ABC News that she had spoken with Florida officials about pooling more resources as Helene’s recovery efforts continue.
“We will be moving more resources there to support their needs,” Criswell said. DeSantis and Criswell spoke by phone Sunday about the preparations.
DeSantis said some impact from Milton is inevitable for the state, which is still working to clean up the mountains of rubble left behind by Helene. He signed an executive order Saturday evening calling for debris collection sites to remain open 24 hours a day as state and local crews continue clearing materials from the side of the road. The executive order initially included 41 counties, but DeSantis added another 10 counties on Sunday.
A complication for storm recovery in Florida is the number of contracted debris removal teams available if other states were affected by the storm. Many debris removal crews left Florida for North Carolina after Helene wreaked havoc there, and Guthrie said those who left while still under contract with the state could be barred from future work. State crews sent to North Carolina to assist with recovery efforts there have also been recalled to the state ahead of Milton.
DeSantis said Milton is forecast to make landfall at Madeira Beach in Pinellas County, where heavy damage was caused by coastal flooding caused by Helene. DeSantis said communities along the western side of the state are experiencing catastrophic flooding, not just the area within the forecast cone.
“This is not a good track for the state of Florida,” DeSantis said.
Mia McCarthy contributed to this report.
