Members of the Florida Army National Guard check for any remaining residents in nearly-deserted Bradenton Beach, where piles of debris from Hurricane Helene flooding still sits outside damaged homes ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Milton, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024, on Anna Maria Island, Fla.Photo by Rebecca Blackwell/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Time to evacuate is running out as Hurricane Milton closes in on Florida

The Tampa Bay region, home to more than 3.3 million people, hasn’t seen a direct hit from a major hurricane in more than a century

by · National Post

A steady rain fell in the Tampa Bay area Wednesday morning as a mighty Hurricane Milton churned toward a potentially catastrophic collision with the west coast of Florida, where some residents insisted they would stay even after millions were ordered to evacuate. Stragglers face grim odds of surviving, officials said.

The Tampa Bay region, home to more than 3.3 million people, hasn’t seen a direct hit from a major hurricane in more than a century. Milton fluctuated between categories 4 and 5 as it approached, but regardless of the distinction in wind speeds, the National Hurricane Center said, it would be a major and extremely dangerous storm when its center makes landfall late Wednesday or early Thursday.

Hurricane Milton: Couple’s vacation turns into 'utter hell' after being stuck in FloridaHurricane Milton is weakening slightly but remains a ferocious storm that could land a once-in-a-century direct hit on Tampa and St. Petersburg, engulfing the populous region with towering storm surges and turning debris from Helene’s devastation 12 days ago into projectiles.08 Oct 2024'An extremely serious threat': What to know about Hurricane Milton as it moves toward Florida’s Gulf CoastNot even two weeks after Hurricane Helene swamped the Florida coastline, Milton has strengthened rapidly into a major hurricane on a path toward the state.08 Oct 2024