Hurricane Milton is expected to reach the coast of Florida late Wednesday night (local time) as a dangerous hurricane, according to the latest update from the US National Hurricane Center (NHC). It’s about one of the most powerful storms that have formed in the North Atlantic in recent years since it is placed in category 5 of the strongest hurricanes although it fluctuates.

Milton could hit near the city of Tampa, whose greater metropolitan area has a population of more than three million people. It is currently at a distance of approx 650 kilometers southwest of the city of Tampa with winds speed of 260 km, announced the Miami-based NHC.

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Forecasters are warning of torrential rain, flash flooding, strong winds and possible storm surges – which occur when water moves inland from the coast.

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The hurricane’s core is expected to pass over west-central Florida, with a large storm surge expected along a portion of the state’s coast before making landfall.

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Florida residents are scrambling to complete emergency preparations — or simply evacuate their homes — as the hurricane makes landfall in populous Tampa Bay.

THE US President Joe Biden warned people in Florida on Tuesday to leave their homes as a “matter of life and death” as the state undertakes its biggest evacuation effort in years. Speaking at the White House on Tuesday, President Biden said the storm could be one of Florida’s worst in a century.

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“Evacuate now, now, now,” he urged Florida residents.

“Category five, it’s like a giant tornado coming at you,” one resident of the Gulf Coast town of Bradenton told the BBC from his evacuated hotel in Kissimmee.

Gov. Ron DeSandis said Tuesday that Florida has prepared dozens of shelters outside evacuation zones to help residents stranded in the wake of the “monster” storm. He also said that gasoline is being trucked to gas stations and electric vehicle charging stations have also been deployed along roads to facilitate evacuation.

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Long lines are forming at gas stations in south Florida as some stations have begun to run out of fuel. Queues also form in supermarkets with residents running to buy essentials.

Counties began issuing evacuation orders Monday, with tolls suspended on roads in west and central Florida.

School closures in many counties began Tuesday. Airports in Tampa and Orlando announced they would suspend flights until the storm passes.

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Where and when Mllton is expected to hit

The new hurricane is expected to hit Florida as the US government warns that efforts to clean up everything left behind by Hurricane Helene could take years. More than 12,000 cubic meters of debris have been removed from the affected areas so far in less than two days, officials said.

Hundreds of roads remain closed, hampering efforts to send aid to hard-hit communities.

THE Biden ordered an additional 500 troops to be deployed to North Carolina. The troops – now totaling 1,500 – will work alongside thousands of government aid workers and the National Guard.

Damages in Florida from Hurricane Milton are already projected to exceed $1 billion, according to a NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) official.