Vehicles stuck in sand swept up by Hurricane Helene ahead of Hurricane Milton’s expected landfall in Treasure Island, Florida, US, on Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. Milton exploded into the Atlantic’s strongest hurricane this year, bearing down as a catastrophic Category 5 storm on a Florida region still struggling to recover from Helene’s devastation.
| Photo Credit: Bloomberg

Hurricane Milton weakened to a Category 4 storm on Tuesday (October 8, 2024) as it barrelled toward the west coast of Florida, where it is expected to make landfall on Wednesday (October 9, 2024).

“Milton is forecast to remain an extremely dangerous hurricane through landfall in Florida,” the US National Hurricane Center said in an advisory, adding the storm was packing sustained winds of around 155 miles per hour (250 kmh).

Milton was downgraded early Tuesday (October 8, 2024) to a Category 4 hurricane, but forecasters said it still posed “an extremely serious threat to Florida.” Milton had intensified quickly Monday (October 7, 2024), becoming a Category 5 storm at midday with maximum sustained winds of 180 mph (285 kph) before being downgraded.

Milton’s centre could come ashore Wednesday (October 9, 2024) in the Tampa Bay region, which has not endured a direct hit by a major hurricane in more than a century. 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.

Tampa Bay has not been hit directly by a major hurricane since 1921, and authorities fear luck is about to run out for the region and its 3.3 million residents. President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration for Florida, and US Rep. Kathy Castor said 7,000 federal workers were mobilised to help in one of the largest mobilisations of federal personnel in history.

“This is the real deal here with Milton,” Tampa Mayor Jane Castor told a Monday news conference. “If you want to take on Mother Nature, she wins 100 per cent of the time.” The Tampa Bay area is still rebounding from Helene and its powerful surge — a wall of water up to 8 feet (2.4 metres) it created even though its eye was 100 miles (160 kilometres) offshore. Twelve people died there, with the worst damage along a string of barrier islands from St. Petersburg to Clearwater.

Forecasters warned that Milton could bring a possible 8- to 12-foot (2.4- to 3.6-metre) storm surge, leading to evacuation orders being issued for beach communities all along the Gulf coast. In Florida, that means anyone who stays is on their own and first responders are not expected to risk their lives to rescue them at the height of the storm.

Stragglers were a problem during Helene and 2022’s Ian. Many residents failed to heed ample warnings, saying they evacuated during previous storms only to have major surges not materialize. But there was evidence on Monday (October 7, 2024) that people were getting out before Milton arrives.

The signs of Ian’s devastation remain visible everywhere. Rebuilt homes stand next to others in various states of construction. There are numerous vacant lots, which were once rare.