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Hurricane Milton is packing maximum winds of over 270 km/h and is expected to make landfall on the western coast of Florida on the night of October 8 or early morning on October 9 (local time).

Hurricane Milton is regarded as the most powerful storm to hit Tampa Bay in over 100 years.

The storm is forecasted to affect areas already devastated by Hurricane Helene, which struck the northern coast on September 26.

Sea levels in several areas of Tampa Bay are predicted to rise by 3 to 4.5 meters, while heavy rains exceeding 250 mm are expected, posing a serious flash flood threat. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis warned that Milton could lead to more widespread flooding and power outages than Helene.

Florida Governor DeSantis has declared a state of emergency for 51 counties in Florida, while President Joe Biden has signed a disaster declaration ahead of Milton’s landfall. President Biden postponed his trips to Germany and Angola to focus on the response to the hurricane.

"I urge everyone in Hurricane Milton’s path to listen to local officials and follow all safety instructions. If you are under evacuation orders you should evacuate now while it is still safe to do so. It is a matter of life and death," President Biden wrote on X.

Florida residents fill sandbags as rain starts to fall in Florida.

The US National Hurricane Center has classified Milton as an "extremely dangerous" storm and urged people to stay vigilant. Most of Florida’s ports, including Tampa and Sarasota, have shut down. Over 5,000 members of the Florida National Guard have been mobilized to respond to the hurricane, with another 3,000 personnel on standby to assist in disaster recovery efforts. Additionally, the US Northern Command is positioning rescue equipment and helicopters for search and rescue operations.

Coastal residents in Florida are racing to prepare for Hurricane Milton by fortifying their homes and boarding up windows to guard against the high winds.

Floridia residents reinforce their homes.

Learning from Hurricane Helene, local authorities are urging residents to move to safer areas swiftly. Kevin Guthrie, Director of Florida’s Division of Emergency Management, reported that 5.9 million residents have been advised to evacuate for safety.

More than 20 counties in Florida have issued mandatory and voluntary evacuation orders. This marks one of the largest evacuations in the state's history. Some who stayed behind during Hurricane Helene have now decided to evacuate.

Several localities have implemented curfews, including Flagler County, Fort Myers Beach, Naples, and Sanibel Island.

Many Vietnamese Americans living in the Tampa Bay area have evacuated ahead of Milton. Traffic stretched for miles along the 96-kilometer main road.

Florida National Guard deployed to help with hurricane relief.

“Some are staying with relatives, while most are opting for hotels,” shared Patrick Nguyen, a resident of Orlando, with VOA.

With over 3 million residents, Tampa Bay is one of the most vulnerable areas in the US to storm surge flooding, according to the Tampa Bay Times. The land around the bay forms a cul-de-sac, housing hundreds of thousands of people close to the water, unlike a typical flat coastline. If the wind pushes water into the bay, it will surge into areas like St. Petersburg, Tampa, Apollo Beach, and Ruskin.

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