On Wednesday, October 9, 2024, Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida as a Category 3 storm with winds of 100 mph (160 km/h). It caused a lot of rain and caused multiple tornadoes to occur around the state. Luckily, there was no direct hit to Tampa.
Milton made landfall close to Siesta Key at 8:30 PM with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph (205 km/h), according to the National Hurricane Center. There are about 5,500 people living on Siesta Key, which is renowned for its stunning white sand beaches and is situated roughly 70 miles (112 km) south of Tampa..

Milton is getting closer to Florida, so there is not much time for evacuations.

Hardy County, Sarasota, and Manatee Counties were the most hit, with over 1.5 million homes and businesses in Florida without electricity by Wednesday night, according to Poweroutage.us.

Tornadoes were tearing through the state before Milton ever made landfall. The Spanish Lakes Country Club neighborhood, which is located on Florida’s Atlantic coast and has multiple ruined homes as well as dead individuals, was the worst-hit area.

“We have lost some lives,” St. Lucie County Sheriff Keith Pearson said to WPBF News, without saying how many.
Impact of Tampa Bay

Although this storm is bringing potentially fatal storm surges to much of Florida’s Gulf Coast, including densely populated regions like Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota, and Fort Myers, the Tampa Bay area has not been directly impacted by a significant hurricane in over a century.

With more than 16 inches (41 cm) of rain falling, the National Weather Service reported flash flooding throughout the Tampa Bay region, including St. Petersburg.

As Milton continues to move over the Florida peninsula and eventually emerges in the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday, rivers and lakes in interior areas may also experience flooding.

Director of Florida Emergency Management Kevin Guthrie stated that over 125 homes had already been demolished prior to the storm’s full intensity, a large number of which were mobile homes in senior communities.

Milton made landfall about 90 minutes later, weakening somewhat and strengthening into a Category 2 storm with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph (175 km/h). It was located about 20 miles (30 km) northeast of Sarasota and was moving northeast at 16 mph (26 km/h).

Milton struck regions that were still suffering from Hurricane Helen, which had killed twelve individuals in coastal Pinellas County alone due to strong storm surges

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Alerts for Evacuation

Before, the authorities had sent out strong warnings to the public telling them to leave or risk dying.

Referring to the storm that pounded Tampa Bay, Pinellas County Emergency Management Director Cathy Perkins stated, “This is it, folks.” “If Hurricane Helen struck you severely, this storm is going to be devastating. You must leave right away without delay.

By late afternoon, officials had issued a warning that the window of opportunity for evacuation had closed and urged those who remained to take cover inside. Some counties declared that they had stopped providing emergency services by the evening.

Up until Thursday, Milton is predicted to remain a hurricane throughout the state, affecting densely populated areas like Orlando.
Hurricane Helen’s aftermath

Hurricane Helen had flooded homes and streets in western Florida just two weeks prior, killing at least 230 people in the South. Before Milton arrived, coastal towns hurried to clean debris to prevent additional damage from its winds and storm surges. In Tampa Bay, waves up to nine feet (2.7 meters) are predicted.

Along with other significant bridges, the famous Sunshine Skyway Bridge that crosses the mouth of Tampa Bay was closed at midday.

Governor Ron DeSantis provided details of the mobilization of a vast array of resources during a press conference in Tallahassee. These included the deployment of 9,000 National Guard members from Florida and other states, over 50,000 utility workers from California, and gasoline tankers escorted by highway patrol to assist residents in refueling prior to the storm.

“Sadly, there will be some who die. There’s no getting around it, in my opinion,” DeSantis stated.

About 7.2 million people were impacted by the mandatory evacuation orders that officials issued for 15 counties in Florida. When the storm reached its zenith, first responders would not be able to risk their lives to conduct rescue operations, so anyone left behind would have to fend for themselves, according to authorities.
Disney World Ends

Airlines had canceled about 1,900 flights by lunchtime. Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando closed in the afternoon, and SeaWorld stayed closed all day.
By Wednesday afternoon, over 60% of the gas stations in Tampa and St. Petersburg were out of fuel, according to GasBuddy. Statewide fuel supplies were stable, according to Governor Ron DeSantis, and highway enforcement officers were accompanying tanker trucks to assist filling stations.

Christian Burke and his mother made the decision to remain in their three-story concrete coastal home in Gulfport, close to Tampa Bay. Burke said they were going to test the house, which his father had built to survive a Category 5 hurricane. Burke acknowledged that staying might not have been the wisest course of action when a passing police car advised the locals to flee, stating, “We’re definitely not taking this storm lightly.”

Hurricane Milton is moving toward Florida’s western coast, bringing with it a lot of rain and a potentially disastrous storm surge that would inundate some of the state’s fastest-growing counties. Around 9 p.m. EST, according to commercial forecaster AccuWeather, Milton was expected to make landfall slightly south of Tampa Bay. Milton’s peak winds of 120 mph (193 km/h) were somewhat dampened by strong upper-level winds over the Gulf of Mexico, putting it at a Category 3 storm on the Saffir-Simpson scale and able to topple trees.

The storm was 50 miles southwest of Sarasota around 6 p.m., and its outer rainbands were already dumping a lot of rain over central Florida. By Wednesday, over 285,000 households and businesses were without power, according to PowerOutage.us.

In Tampa Bay, Milton is predicted to raise water levels by nine feet (3 meters) and up to thirteen feet on Anna Maria Island, possibly flooding cities and villages. Later in the evening, tornadoes are also probable in central and southern Florida.

Hurricane Milton might forever change some parts of Florida, according to FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell, who also advised locals to follow evacuation orders.

Criswell declared during a press conference that “Milton is going to be a deadly and destructive hurricane.” “It will bring massive storm surges, strong winds, and severe flooding as it moves across the state.”

with the event that Governor DeSantis requested assistance, President Joe Biden declared on Wednesday that the federal government is prepared to send military forces to aid with the rescue operations. Biden continued, “We’ve already instructed the Department of Defense to make active-duty service members available to assist Florida after the storm, as we did in North Carolina.”

In some places, Milton could receive up to 18 inches of rain, and power disruptions could persist for several days or even weeks. The hurricane is getting larger as it gets closer to land; just a day ago, tropical storm force winds were only 140 miles out from the storm’s center. Now, same winds are reaching 255 miles. Similar to what happened in 2022 with Hurricane Ian, Milton may force storm surges into St. Petersburg if it passes just south of Tampa Bay.

The National Hurricane Center’s deputy director, Jamie Rhome, stated in a Wednesday interview that “someone is going to get a 10-foot storm surge.” It’s still unknown exactly where that will occur, but it’s probably going to impact a huge region spanning several counties. This will be a momentous occasion for those communities. It won’t be easy to recover.”

Enki Research catastrophe modeler Chuck Watson classified Milton as a “major disaster” for the area, estimating damages to be between $60 billion and $75 billion.

Milton arrives barely two weeks after Hurricane Helen devastated Florida’s western coast, killing at least 230 people in the southern United States. Milton had achieved Category 5 strength, similar to Ian, which killed over 150 people two years ago, although it might decrease a little before landing.fall.

Melissa Sixas, president of Duke Energy Florida, stated that while the utility was getting ready for Milton, there wasn’t much the firm could do to shield Tampa’s electrical infrastructure from the predicted over ten-foot storm surge. After replacing hundreds of transformers that Helen had destroyed, the company’s equipment was now once more in danger. Furthermore, the powerful winds could turn Helen’s garbage into lethal projectiles.

With Milton, “our worst fears have come true,” Sixas declared.”We had roughly 24 hours to shift from completing Helen’s recovery to getting ready for the approaching storm.”
According to property data company CoreLogic, 500,000 residential properties in the Tampa Bay and Sarasota districts could be at risk from the storm surge if Milton makes landfall as a Category 3 hurricane. Rebuilding these properties will likely cost $123 billion. This is a reflection of the region’s high property values as well as its size.