At least 16 people have died from Hurricane Milton, which roared onshore on Florida's west coast as a Category 3 hurricane, bringing tornadoes, powerful winds and flooding rains. The monster storm forced millions to evacuate and left widespread destruction across Florida.
Florida officials urge residents to stay indoors, no longer travel ahead of Milton's landfall
Hours before Hurricane Milton is expected to make landfall, Florida officials are urging residents to remain inside.
"NOW is the time to stay indoors and avoid traveling -- weather conditions will be dangerous across the state well into Thursday," the state’s Department of Transportation said in a post on X Wednesday evening.
Hillborough County officials said it has become too dangerous even to transport people to shelters.
Oct 09, 2024, 5:46 PM EDT
Army general who spearheaded Hurricane Katrina response addresses Milton
Retired Lt. Gen. Russel Honoré, who spearheaded the U.S. Army's Hurricane Katrina response in 2005, joined ABC News Live Wednesday to discuss Florida's preparations for Hurricane Milton.
"The state of Florida has some of the most well-trained, well-organized emergency response teams in the country for planning and preparedness," Honoré said.
A military convoy is seen ahead of Hurricane Milton's expected mid-week landfall in Sanford, Fla., Oct. 8, 2024.
Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/AFP via Getty Images
"And what the state and federal government have done in pre-positioning, they've leaned forward. We've got a lot more preparedness on this storm than we had on the last one is all I can say," he added of Hurricane Helene, which hit Florida late last month.
"Everybody has tried to do the best they can to get people out of the way," Honoré said.
Oct 09, 2024, 5:07 PM EDT
Taylor Swift donates $5 million for Hurricane Helene and Milton relief efforts
Taylor Swift has donated $5 million to the nonprofit Feeding America for Hurricane Helene and Milton relief efforts, the organization announced Wednesday evening.
In an Instagram post, Feeding America CEO Claire Babineaux-Fontenot said the organization is "incredibly grateful" for the donation.
"This contribution will help communities rebuild and recover, providing essential food, clean water, and supplies to people affected by these devastating storms," Babineaux-Fontenot said. "Together, we can make a real impact in supporting families as they navigate the challenges ahead. Thank you, Taylor, for standing with us in the movement to end hunger and for helping communities in need."
Oct 09, 2024, 4:46 PM EDT
Tampa faces biggest evacuation in decades: Police chief
The city of Tampa is home to about 500,000 people, and about 200,000 people tried to evacuate ahead of Hurricane Milton, Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw told ABC News Live.
"This the largest evacuation that we have done in the 53 years that I've been alive in Tampa, Florida. And this is definitely the storm of the century," he said.
People transit in a vehicle next to an AquaFence barrier at Tampa General Hospital, as Hurricane Milton approaches, in Tampa, Fla., Oct. 9, 2024.
Octavio Jones/Reuters
Bercaw said on Wednesday he met an elderly woman who didn't want to evacuate.
"She had actually inflated a flotation device and planned on floating in her home. And we were able to, fortunately, evacuate her," Bercaw said. "But there's probably more of her out there. And that's what our officers were doing all this morning, is going out to our most vulnerable communities and helping them to evacuate."
"We’re almost at that point with the winds speeding up where we were not going to be able to respond anymore," he said. "I can't, in good conscience, send my police officers out to assess people once it gets too dangerous, because after the storm, we need to be ready to go for our rescue and recovery efforts."
