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Floridians are pouring out of the Gulf side of Florida as Hurricane Milton bears down on the southern state. Tens of thousands were spotted evacuating Tampa Bay and the surrounding areas on Monday and Tuesday, only a week after Hurricane Helene brought terror and devastation to the Sunshine State.
Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, has ramped up recovery efforts in anticipation of what is being characterized as one of the worst hurricanes to ever strike Florida. DeSantis held multiple press conferences this week to outline the preparations underway to respond when Milton inevitably crosses into the state.
“Linemen and power restoration resources are being marshaled in advance of the storm,” DeSantis said Tuesday. “We now have in excess of 37,000 lineman that are either en route or in the state of Florida.”
DeSantis announced his administration has readied 8,000 National Guardsman and 34 search and rescue aircrafts in anticipation of the storm surge. DeSantis thanked officials from other states who have provided aid in the lead up to Milton making landfall.
Milton, a Category 4 storm, has erupted out of the Gulf of Mexico. Supercharged by warm waters, Milton is the second-fastest intensifying storm ever recorded in the Atlantic Ocean. Data gathered by the National Hurricane Center suggests the storm, expected to make landfall Wednesday night, could produce 10-15 foot storm surges along the Gulf side of Florida.
Florida officials in Lee, Sarasota, and Hillsborough counties issued evacuation orders Monday and DeSantis has issued more than 51 emergency declarations as the storm spins toward Florida.
Speaking with CNN, Tampa Bay mayor Jane Castor issued a stark warning to those opting to ride out the storm surge expected to make landfall on Wednesday.
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“I can say without any dramatization whatsoever, if you choose to stay in one of those evacuation areas, you’re going to die,” Castor said.
During a press conference on Monday, DeSantis said he has empowered Florida officials to act as necessary in the lead up to the storm surge.
“We don’t have time for bureaucracy and red tape,” DeSantis said. “We have to get the job done.”
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