Hurricane Milton latest: Tampa airport closes as millions hit the roads before hurricane makes landfall in Florida

Police on Treasure Island, right in the danger zone for Hurricane Milton’s devastating path, have been driving through the streets, leaving an eerie final warning message to remaining residents.

“There is currently a local emergency,” a robotic male voice blares. ‘Quickly secure your home and business and evacuate the area safely. Listen to local media and authorities for additional information.”

The Pinellas County area is under mandatory evacuation orders as it is expected to be hit with 155 mph winds and storm surges up to 15 feet high when Milton makes landfall.

The National Weather Service has released a map showing forecast storm surges for Florida’s coastal areas.

The mid-Gulf Coast, including Tampa Bay, is expected to be hardest hit with waves up to 15 feet.

Meanwhile, areas around Yankeetown, Anclote River and Bonita Beach will see waves up to 10 feet.

The highs will decrease for areas further from the Tampa Bay danger zone – but the entire Gulf Coast and much of the East Coast will experience some form of surge.

Tampa Bay officials are cutting off access to running water ahead of Hurricane Milton.

Authorities in Manatee County said the “necessary service interruption” would “ensure utility infrastructure remains intact and save sewer lift stations” from the storm’s devastating effects.

The province has also suspended waste collection services.

In the city of Venice in Sarasota County, taps and even fire hydrants will be closed as of Tuesday evening.

This will continue for the duration of Milton’s wrath upon the county, plus a few more days.

“Once service is restored, you will be issued a boil advisory until you receive notification that the water is safe for consumption,” city officials said.

Tampa is particularly vulnerable to the devastating effects of hurricanes, meaning Milton could be catastrophic, according to Dr. Steven Godby, a natural hazards expert at Nottingham Trent University’s School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences.

Dr. Godby said this is due to a combination of the low-lying water close to Tampa Bay and the dense population and infrastructure.

“Tampa has long been considered the most vulnerable urban area in the United States to storm surge flooding,” explained Dr. Godby to DailyMail.com

“Direct hurricane strikes on Florida’s west coast are rare, but much of it is low-lying and the relatively shallow water offshore makes it vulnerable to large storm surges.

‘The last major hurricane (Category 3 on the Saffir-Simpson scale) to hit the Tampa Bay area made landfall on October 25, 1921, producing a storm surge of 10 to 12 feet and winds of 115 mph that caused losses that today would be $180 million.

“With Hurricane Milton bearing down on Tampa, it is worth noting that the population at the time was approximately 160,000 and has now grown to more than three million, many of whom live on land less than ten feet above sea level.

‘Large numbers of homes, schools, government buildings and critical infrastructure are at risk of flooding and wind damage.’

Dr. Godby added that the debris left over from Hurricane Helene, which hit the region two weeks ago, also poses an additional risk of projectiles being thrown up by high winds.

“Authorities have emphasized that people living along this coast have no living memory of this type of storm and should evacuate if ordered and be in a safe place by Tuesday evening,” he said.

Floridians are doing their best to protect their homes and businesses from Milton’s attacks by deploying sandbags and boarding up their windows.

Many have been told to leave immediately, and it is uncertain where they will return – as the major hurricane is expected to cause “catastrophic damage” to well-built structures, the National Hurricane Center warned.

Lightning flickers in the eye of Hurricane Milton, currently barreling through the Gulf of Mexico.

Milton expanded this morning as it barreled across the Gulf of Mexico toward Tampa — making it possibly “one of the most destructive hurricanes on record” for west-central Florida, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The hurricane’s 155 mph (250 km/h) winds extend further from the storm’s center, vastly increasing its capacity to cause widespread destruction.

Milton’s storms extended about 80 miles from the eye of the storm through Monday, increasing to just over 100 miles Wednesday morning.

“Milton is still a relatively compact hurricane, but its wind field is expected to continue to grow in size as it approaches Florida,” the National Hurricane Center said.

“In fact, the official forecast shows that hurricane and tropical storm force winds will roughly double in magnitude by the time they make landfall.”

The Fort Myers/Naples/Cape Coral area of ​​Florida along I-75 toward Miami came to a near standstill Tuesday morning as people tried to flee.

Similar scenes are also playing out on I-4 heading into Orlando and NB I-75 out of Tampa.