Shortly before the arrival of Hurricane Milton in Fort Myers, tree branches were torn off, a canopy from a gas station was blown to pieces, and pieces of debris littered the road. Households have problems with tree branches scattered on the road. Ahead of the hurricane's impact, at least five tornadoes touched down in South Florida, the National Weather Service confirmed.
Heavy rain fell in the Tampa Bay area Wednesday morning as potentially catastrophic Hurricane Milton is expected to make landfall on Florida's west coast. Some residents decided to stay even after millions were ordered to evacuate. Those who remain have little chance of survival, officials said.
The hurricane poses a particularly big threat to hundreds of thousands of non-English-speaking immigrants in Orlando and Tampa, most of whom come from Latin American countries. They pick oranges and tomatoes on farms, wash dishes in restaurants, clean hotel rooms and do construction work, and everyday life was difficult even before the storm, due to the lack of resources and the language barrier. Milton turned these obstacles into a matter of life and death.
The Tampa Bay region, home to more than 3,3 million people, has not seen a direct hit from a major hurricane in more than a century. Milton fluctuated between categories 4 and 5 as it approached, but regardless of the difference in wind speed, the National Hurricane Center said, it will be a large and extremely dangerous storm when its center makes landfall late Wednesday or early Thursday.
"Milton has the potential to be one of the most destructive hurricanes for West Central Florida," the center warned.
Florida Governor Ron Desantis told people who chose to stay at home surrounded by sandbags that they should know that if there is a 3-foot drift, they have no chance of surviving.
"If you're in the southern part of the storm, you're going to have a storm surge, which is throwing up huge amounts of water and that water is going to go over. Man, if you're somewhere in the eye or south, you're going to experience a big storm," Desantis said.
He again appealed to people to evacuate, but also said that there is no fuel at some gas stations.
The governor said that patrol vehicles with sirens are following gasoline tanker trucks on the highway to pass them through traffic.
"As I say this, they are transporting fuel under escort," he said.
The police said that Florida will not tolerate robbery.
"We're going to arrest you," said Mark Glas of the Florida State Police.
Of particular concern is storm surge, a rise in ocean levels caused mostly by strong storm winds that push ocean water toward the coast. The hurricane center said storm surge levels could reach three to 4,5 meters in areas near where the eye of the storm makes landfall.
Closed schools and colleges
More than half of Florida's educational institutions are closed. Some school buildings will be used as storm shelters across the affected region. Among the closures is the Tampa-based Hillsborough County School District, which has about 224.000 students and is the nation's seventh-largest school district.
Colleges and universities also canceled classes, and some said they would switch to distance learning later this week if they were able. Some schools outside the storm's path, including the University of Miami, planned to take precautions by switching to remote learning by Thursday.
Orlando, expecting a blow, has closed all amusement parks, including Disneyland, as well as the SeaWorld water park and aquarium.
In the Tampa area and south of Orlando, Polk County is home to Legoland Florida Resort, a Lego park that was closed ahead of the storm. Almost 3.000 people have already been in 19 district shelters and there is still room for more.
Kamala Harris: Those who use this to drive up prices will suffer the consequences
"Those evacuating due to Hurricane Milton or recovering from Hurricane Helena should not be targeted for illegal price gouging or fraud at the pump, airport or hotel counters," the US vice president said in a statement.
Harris said the federal government is following up on the allegations and will hold those who take advantage of the situation accountable.
President Joe Biden made a similar request on Tuesday.
"I call on airlines and other companies to provide as many services as possible in order to adapt to the evacuation and not engage in price gouging," he said at the White House.
Storm surge warnings were in effect Wednesday for nearly the entire west coast of the Florida peninsula, which stretches for 500 kilometers.
Roads were packed Monday and Tuesday as people followed mandatory and voluntary evacuation orders to avoid the hurricane's path, while those who chose to stay made final preparations to weather the storm.
The hurricane had maximum sustained winds of about 260 miles per hour late Tuesday, making it a Category 5 storm on the five-point Saffir-Simpson scale. Storms of this magnitude are expected to cause widespread destruction and damage to homes and prolonged power outages.
The National Hurricane Center said areas in central and northern Florida are expected to see 15-30 centimeters of rain, with higher amounts in some locations. The storm is expected to cross Florida on Thursday and move further over the Atlantic Ocean.
"Evacuate now, now, now," US President Joe Biden advised Florida residents on Tuesday from the White House. The president canceled trips to Germany and Angola this week to stay in the US and oversee preparations for and response to Milton, the White House said.
The governor said Florida is ready to activate 8.000 National Guard members to help deal with the aftermath of Milton.
Dozens of emergency shelters are ready for people in need, and one location in Florida can hold 10.000 people, the governor said. However, Desantis said the shelters are "designed to be a shelter of last resort."
Milton's arrival in Florida comes just two weeks after Hurricane Helena hit the state. Desantis said Tuesday that Florida Department of Transportation workers removed 1.300 truckloads of debris from Helena in just over 48 hours. He said removing such a "massive, massive amount" of debris would prevent further damage.
Bonus video: