Ballina International English Hurricane Milton’s storm surge begins on Florida Gulf Coast

Hurricane Milton’s storm surge begins on Florida Gulf Coast

A motorist drives past broken utility poles downed by strong wind gusts as Hurricane Milton approaches Fort Myers, Florida, on Wednesday. Ricardo Arduengo/Reuters

• Milton’s impacts have arrived: Storm surge has started on the Florida Gulf Coast as the hurricane’s powerful winds drive ocean water onto normally dry land. Milton has also spawned several tornadoes, and torrential rain and thunderstorms are lashing the coast as the most dangerous parts of the storm move closer.

• Where will Milton hit? Milton will make landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast overnight as a major hurricane, and could become one of the most destructive storms on record there. Exactly where it comes ashore could shift before landfall and alter where the most life-threatening storm surge occurs in the Tampa area and along Florida’s Gulf Coast. You can track Milton’s path with CNN’s storm tracker.

• Milton growing in size: Hurricane Milton’s wind field has more than doubled in size since yesterday and it is expected to expand more. This means its disastrous impacts will be felt over a much larger area. Tropical-storm force winds are expected to cover the entire width of the Florida peninsula.

Hurricane hunters take a deep look inside Milton’s eye

NOAA’s hurricane hunters flew through the eye of Hurricane Milton Wednesday on the agency’s plane called “Miss Piggy.”

These missions collect data to help improve forecasts and support hurricane research, according to the post on X from NOAA. See the crew’s view from the eye of the storm:

Milton’s strongest winds and heaviest rain so far

A motorist drives past broken utility poles downed by strong wind gusts as Hurricane Milton approaches Fort Myers, Florida, on Wednesday. Ricardo Arduengo/Reuters

Milton’s most destructive winds are still hours away from the Florida coast, but strong winds and heavy rain are already pounding the state.

Here are the most significant reports as of 2:30 p.m.:

Wind:

Key West: 59 mph
St. Petersburg: 59 mph
Naples: 54 mph
Clearwater: 52 mph
Sarasota: 52 mph
Rain (since midnight):

Sarasota: 4.04 inches
North Fort Myers: 3.52 inches
Sanibel Island: 3:15 inches
St. Petersburg: 2.69 inches
Tampa: 2.37 inches

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St. Pete Beach fire chief says he’s concerned about Helene-battered structures collapsing from Milton

The fire chief in Florida’s St. Pete Beach is concerned that structures potentially weakened by Hurricane Helene nearly two weeks ago may be ripe for collapse from Hurricane Milton, he said Wednesday.

“My concern is that we just went through another storm about 13 days ago. These structures that have been hit by water and wind, they’re in a weakened state. I’m worried that this next storm may cause collapse,” St. Pete Beach Fire Chief Jim Kilpatrick told CNN’s Boris Sanchez.

The response capabilities for the fire department in St. Pete Beach – situated on a barrier island west of St. Petersburg – will be very limited during the storm, Kilpatrick said. “Once we evacuate the island, once our resources have left the island, we are stuck in our emergency operation center. We will not be performing rescues until we get an all-clear to get back out on the island,” Kilpatrick said.

During the early afternoon interview with Kilpatrick, CNN caught on camera a few adults and children standing near a shoreline in the Tampa area, watching the increasingly rough waters of Tampa Bay. The fire chief warned against being outside even as the storm approached.

“Those waters are dangerous. Those winds are dangerous,” he said. “It is not safe to be outside right now. You should be in a structure that is able to withstand the storm and be hunkering down.”

“Lt. Dan” lives on a boat and refuses to leave despite pleas from police and even a CNN reporter

Joseph Malinowski, known locally as “Lieutenant Dan,” lives on a 20-foot sailboat tied down to the dock in downtown Tampa’s Hillsborough Bay, but tells CNN he has no plans to evacuate even as Hurricane Milton quickly approaches Florida, threatening a deadly storm surge.

“I believe in my heart that God wants me to stay out here until this is all over,” Malinowski said as Tampa police officers warned, “You’re going to die,” while telling him about potential surge and threatening to arrest him.

Malinowski said he lost his leg at 16-years-old in a scooter accident, survived cancer, survived an opioid addiction, and survived Helene in his boat less than two weeks ago. He insists he’ll survive Milton.

He’s refusing to go to a shelter.

Malinowski and his boat are in “Evacuation Zone A” and under mandatory Evacuation Orders. The mayor of Tampa says residents in evacuations zone have reached the critical point when it’s time to get out.

Authorities say once the storm reaches maximum sustained winds, emergency responders will not be able to help residents who did not evacuate.

“We’re getting very, very close to the point where people will not be able to get out,” said Mayor Jane Castor said in a Wednesday news briefing.

CNN reporter Isabel Rosales reminded Malinowski that boats also sink.

“I really hope that you evacuate because people died from Helene in situations exactly like this,” Rosales said. “People drowned.”

At least 20 people died in Florida as a result of Helene.

National Hurricane Center Director Michael Brennan warned Wednesday afternoon that conditions in Florida will soon start to deteriorate rapidly.

“It’s looking like the storm of the century,” President Joe Biden said from the White House on Wednesday.

Malinowski knows there are shelters available for people to take cover from the impending storm. Hillsborough County has 12 shelters available.

More than 30,000 Floridians in shelters, governor says

From CNN’s Andy Rose

Tens of thousands of Hurricane Milton evacuees are now in public storm shelters, and there is plenty of room for more, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Wednesday afternoon.

“We’ve got over 30,000 individuals that are in it, but we have space for over 200,000 individuals,” DeSantis said during a briefing in Lake City as Milton’s outer bands were hitting the state.

People arrive at a shelter at Buffalo Creek Middle School in Bradenton, Florida, ahead of Hurricane Milton’s expected landfall on October 9, 2024. Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/AFP/Getty Images

The governor said there were nearly 150 state and local shelters in place for Milton. At least one shelter in every county under an evacuation order is pet-friendly, DeSantis said, and at least one in each county can accommodate evacuees with special needs.

To encourage people reluctant to leave their homes, the governor added that many shelters are equipped with Wi-Fi connected to Starlink internet systems so evacuees can stay connected.

“Look, it’s not the Four Seasons,” DeSantis said earlier in the day, “but there are some things there that will make it tolerable to be able to get through the next 24 to 36 hours.”

These are the groups of people who can’t evacuate ahead of Milton

Nearly 7.3 million Floridians live in 15 counties with mandatory evacuation orders, but not all are in a position to evacuate.

That includes:

Hospitals: Sixteen hospitals have evacuated ahead of Milton, according to a Wednesday afternoon update from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Flood control plans are in place at Tampa General Hospital, Senior Director of Public Safety Tony Venezia told CNN’s Pamela Brown Wednesday, and there are no plans on evacuating patients. The hospital is powered by a four-story energy plant 33 feet above sea level, according to the hospital’s website; therefore, the generators are not expected to flood.

In anticipation of storm surge during Hurricane Helene, crews set up an AquaFence outside the facility that can withstand up to 15 feet of water, and it “did exactly what it was designed to do,” Venezia said, noting it remains intact for Milton.

Prisons: Despite being located in an evacuation zone that’s under an emergency evacuation order, Manatee County Jail has not and will not evacuate inmates, according to Randy Warren, public information officer for the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office. He said the inmates are “storm safe,” since the facility “is a hurricane-rated, two-story facility built on higher ground” with multiple generators for emergency power, extra staff and emergency workers on site to help with any issues. The jail is fully stocked with supplies and enough food and water for several days, he said.

Inmates who need medical care or have physical disabilities are being moved to a secure, second level. If water seeps into the ground floor, all inmates and staff will move upstairs as well, Warren said.

Parts of Fort Myers are shredded by a likely tornado

Hurricane Milton has already spawned tornadoes in Florida hours before its projected landfall, and the city of Fort Myers was pummeled by one.

Video and photos show damaged houses, fallen trees and a mangled 7-Eleven gas station. A piece of the 7-Eleven’s canopy went airborne and ended up wrapped around the bottom of a tree.

A tornado hurled debris in Fort Myers on Wednesday. AccuWeather

Homeowner Dylan Boehm evacuated his Fort Myers house, but his security camera captured trees shaking in ferocious winds. Parts of the trees blew off and became projectiles.

“It’s time to shelter-in-place” National Weather Service Says

The National Weather Service issued a statement saying it is now time to shelter-in-place from Milton.

The time to safely evacuate is now ending as the storm’s worst surge, wind and rain start to build across Florida in the coming hours.

 

“Unless a life-threatening situation arises, stay indoors and follow updates,” the weather service said.

Number of closed Waffle House locations in Florida has tripled since Tuesday

The Waffle House Index shows the number of restaurants closed due to the storm has tripled since Tuesday, going from about 30 locations on Tuesday to more than 90 as of Wednesday afternoon.

The latest closures are in central and eastern coastal areas of Florida.

Milton is expected to make landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast overnight as a major hurricane, and it could become one of the most destructive storms on record there.

 

 

Why this is a big deal: Waffle House has a reputation of staying open during natural disasters, even when other restaurants are closed. The Waffle House Index is even an unofficial measure by a former FEMA official to evaluate how severely a storm hit an area. So if the Waffle House closes, it means the storm is getting serious.

More about the Waffle House Index: The index uses a color-coded key to evaluate the degree of damage done to an area and what resources the area will need, based on the Waffle House schedule.

 Red: Waffle House is closed completely. If Waffle House is closed, that area was probably hardest hit.

 Yellow: Waffle House is open, but they’re serving a limited menu. This could mean the area is experiencing power outages or water isn’t safe to drink, but people can get around.

 Green: Waffle House is up and running at peak condition. This doesn’t mean everything’s perfect in the area, but it’s a sign that basic services are intact.

CNN’s Elise Hammond and Ramishah Maruf contributed reporting to this post.

Storm surge is starting in South Florida

Milton’s strong winds have begun to drive water levels higher than they should be.

It’s near low tide near Naples, Florida, but you wouldn’t know that looking at the ocean. Storm surge of nearly 3 feet is impacting the area.

Biden says Hurricane Milton is “looking like the storm of the century”

President Joe Biden on Wednesday said Hurricane Milton is shaping up to possibly be a historic storm, while urging residents in Florida to heed evacuation orders.

“It’s looking like the storm of the century,” Biden said from the White House on Wednesday.

“Many communities in Hurricane Milton’s path do not have a moment to catch their breath between Helene and Milton, two historic storms in two weeks,” he said.

Biden urged everyone in the storm’s path to “follow all safety instructions as we head into the next 24 hours.”

“The last few weeks, there’s been a reckless, irresponsible and relentless promotion of disinformation and outright lies,” the president said. He added the rumors are “undermining confidence in the incredible rescue and recovery work that has already been taken and will continue to be taken, and it’s harmful to those who need help the most.”

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