Hurricane Milton warning as Florida homes evacuated just days after Helene destruction

Hurricane Milton is on track to hit the cities of Tampa Bay and Orlando in Florida, days after Hurricane Helene devastated communities in the southern US state. 

Forecasters predict that Milton, a category five hurricane, could make landfall on Wednesday in the Tampa Bay area and remain a hurricane as it moves across central Florida into the Atlantic Ocean. They warned of a storm surge up to a possible 12-foot in Tampa Bay and said flash and river flooding could result from five to 10 inches of rain in mainland Florida and the Keys, with as much as 15 inches in places.

Some communities have already been warned to evacuate their homes in preparation for the storm's arrival. 

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It comes after Hurricane Helene caused catastrophic damage at the end of September from Florida up to the Appalachian Mountains. As of Sunday, the death toll stood at least 230 people.

Florida governor Ron DeSantis warned communities that Florida would be hit hard again with the arrival of Hurricane Milton. "I don't think there's any scenario where we don't have major impacts at this point," he said. 

He said on Monday that it was imperative that messes from Helene be cleaned up ahead of Milton’s arrival so they do not become dangerous flying projectiles. "We don’t have time for bureaucracy and red tape," he warned. "We have to get the job done."

Hillsborough County, home to Tampa, ordered evacuations for areas adjacent to Tampa Bay and for all mobile and manufactured homes by Tuesday night. "Yes, this stinks. We know that, and it comes on the heels of where a lot of us are still recovering from Hurricane Helene," Sheriff Chad Chronister said. "But if you safeguard your families, you will be alive."

"If you remain there, you could die and my men and women could die trying to rescue you," Hillsborough Fire Rescue Chief Jason Dougherty said. "Help them by leaving."

Mr DeSantis said Floridians should prepare for more power outages and disruption, making sure they have a week’s worth of food and water and are ready to hit the road.

Milton’s centre was about 150 miles west of Progreso, Mexico, and about 735 miles southwest of Tampa on Monday morning, moving east-southeast at 8mph, according to the National Hurricane Centre in Miami. 

With Milton achieving hurricane status, this is the first time the Atlantic has had three simultaneous hurricanes after September, according to Colorado State University hurricane scientist Phil Klotzbach. There have been four simultaneous hurricanes in August and September.