Hurricane Milton closes in on Florida: ‘It’s the coffin that you’re in’

Hurricane Milton is churning towards a potentially catastrophic collision along the west coast of Florida later on Wednesday. With some residents insisting they would stay after millions were ordered to evacuate, officials warned that stragglers would face grim odds of surviving.

The focus is on the Tampa Bay area, which is home to more than 3.3 million people. Tampa Bay faced the possibility of widespread destruction under the impact of Hurricane Milton.

Tampa Bay has avoided direct hits from major hurricanes for more than a century.

However, the National Hurricane Center has predicted that Milton, a monstrous Category 5 hurricane during much of its approach, would likely weaken but remain a major hurricane when it makes landfall late Wednesday.

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Milton was centred early Wednesday about 580 kilometres southwest of Tampa with maximum sustained winds of 260 kmh, the National Hurricane Center reported.

US President Joe Biden has said that leaving the bay area is a matter of life and death. He said the “time to evacuate is now, now, now” in his appeal to residents living in the path of Hurricane Milton. He said the people of the area needed to follow the government’s instructions.

He also said that people should already have evacuated as “it’s a matter of life and death”.

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor noted that up to 4.5 metres of storm surge forecast for her city would be deep enough to swallow an entire house.

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“So if you’re in it, basically that’s the coffin that you’re in,” Castor said.

Biden warns against misinformation

Biden has flagged the dangers of misinformation in the times of natural calamities. This comes amid allegations against Republican Party’s presidential hopeful Donald Trump, who has been accused of spreading misinformation about Hurricane Helene.

To a question on misinformation spread by influential people, Biden responded saying that “those that do it, do it to try and damage the administration…But it misleads people…it’s unAmerican.”

“People are scared to death. People know that their lives are at stake,” he said.

What is coming to Florida?

Forecasters predicted the storm will retain hurricane strength as it crosses central Florida on Thursday on a path east toward the Atlantic Ocean.

However, the hurricane’s precise track remained uncertain. Forecasters have till now nudged its projected path slightly south of Tampa.

Meanwhile, thousands of fleeing cars clogged Florida’s highways. But time for evacuations was running out on Wednesday.

Milton is coming to the region where communities are still reeling two weeks after Hurricane Helene brought huge devastation, leaving at least 230 dead. Streets were flooded and homes destroyed in western Florida.

In the bayside town of Punta Gorda, about 60 kilometres 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 damaged homes.

But, some insist on staying back

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, reported news agency AP.

Joiner said bull sharks swam in the flooded streets and a neighbour had to be rescued by canoe when Helene passed and flooded the first floor of his home.

“Water is a blessing to have,” Joiner said, “but it is very deadly.”

Joiner said he planned to go another round and ride out Milton, despite the risk.

Authorities have issued mandatory evacuation orders across 11 Florida counties with a combined population of about 5.9 million people, according to the US Census Bureau estimates.

Officials have warned that anyone staying behind must fend for themselves, as first responders are not expected to risk their lives attempting rescues at the height of the storm.

In Riverview, south of Tampa, several drivers waiting in a long line for fuel Tuesday said they had no plans to evacuate.

“I think we’ll just hang, you know — tough it out,” said Martin Oakes, of nearby Apollo Beach. “We got shutters up. The house is all ready. So this is sort of the last piece of the puzzle.”

Others weren’t taking any chances after Helene.

Helene shock is still fresh

On Anna Marie Island along the southern edge of Tampa Bay, Evan Purcell packed up his father’s 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.

“I’m still in shock over the first one and here comes round two,” Purcell said. “I just have a pit in my stomach about this one.”

State and local governments scrambled ahead of the storm to remove piles of debris left in Helene’s wake, fearing that the oncoming hurricane would turn loose wreckage into flying missiles.

Governor Ron DeSantis said the state deployed over 300 dump trucks that had removed 1,300 loads of debris.

In Mexico, authorities in the state of Yucatan reported minor damage from Milton as it passed just offshore. Power lines, light poles and trees were knocked down near the coast, and some small thatched-roof structures were destroyed, Yucatan Gov. Joaquín Díaz said. He did not report any deaths or injuries.

(With inputs from agencies)