HURRICANE MILTON will collide with Florida’s west coast sometime later tonight or early Thursday morning, likely as a Category 4 storm.
One of the largest evacuations in Florida state history is drawing to a close. Those who did not flee the storm’s path will be forced to shelter in place, as bridges shut down and high winds and heavy rain batter the coast.
Gas stations are running out of fuel, and the Feds are warning of scams and price gouging. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is promising to punish anyone who leaves their pets tied up outside during the storm.
Officials are issuing their final warnings to those in the pathway.
“This is it, folks. Those of you who were punched during Hurricane Helene, this is going to be a knockout. You need to get out, and you need to get out now.” — Cathie Perkins, emergency management director in Pinellas County
There was some uncertainty late Wednesday about where exactly the hurricane would make landfall, but it’s expected to strike the region south of Tampa.
“The time to prepare, including evacuate if told to do so, is quickly coming to an end along the Florida West Coast...Damaging winds, life-threatening storm surge, and heavy rainfall will extend well outside the forecast cone,” the National Hurricane Center said in a dispatch. “This is a very serious situation and residents in Florida should closely follow orders from their local emergency management officials. Evacuations and other preparations should be completed over the next couple of hours.”
Stay with The Hill for breaking news updates.
Other resources:
- You can view the Wobble Tracker here for live updates on Hurricane Milton’s path and where it may make landfall.
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The New York Times has a chart showing when damaging winds are most likely to hit different cities across Florida.
Milton will strike as recovery efforts from Hurricane Helene continue across six states in the Southeast.
The humanitarian crisis in North Carolina is acute. Many are still without power, clean water, housing or infrastructure needed to return to their lives.
Small mountain towns, such as Banner Elk and Black Mountain, remain in a state of emergency.
There are fears the devastation will disrupt voting with the presidential election only weeks away. The outcome of the election will hinge on several impacted states, including Florida, Georgia and North Carolina.
“Forty thousand absentee ballots are mailed out of North Carolina, and only 1,000 were returned before the storm,” Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told Politico. “So did some get washed away? Would those people ever know where they get an opportunity to do it again? … This is an unprecedented event to have such a large-scale natural disaster this close to a presidential election. So there's no history, precedent or playbook to employ, and that is, I mean, that thing that is a real concern for a lot of people.”
Election year politics hang over the disaster recovery and preparation efforts.
Vice President Harris made an impromptu call into CNN to bash former President Trump for his remarks about the federal government's response to Hurricane Helene.
“It is dangerous, it is unconscionable, frankly, that anyone who considers themselves a leader would mislead desperate people to the point that those desperate people would not receive the aid to which they are entitled,” Harris told CNN’s Dana Bash. “We all know it’s dangerous and the gamesmanship has to stop. At some point the politics has to end, especially in a moment of crisis.”
Harris got into a dust-up with DeSantis a day earlier, accusing him of "political gamesmanship" for not taking her call. DeSantis responded furiously, saying he's been in touch with Biden and FEMA and that Harris has not previously shown interest in helping him navigate disaster efforts.
Federal, state and local officials are condemning those who are using the hurricane to spread conspiracies, such as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), who insinuated on X that the federal government is somehow behind Hurricane Helene.
“Yes they can control the weather,” Greene posted.
President Biden fired back Wednesday:
“Over the last few weeks, there’s been a reckless, irresponsible and relentless promotion of disinformation and outright lies that are disturbing people. It’s undermining confidence in the incredible rescue and recovery work that has already been taken and will continue to be taken. It’s harmful to those who need help the most. There is simply no place for this to happen … Now the claims are getting even more bizarre. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a congresswoman from Georgia, is now saying the federal government is literally controlling the weather. We’re controlling the weather. It’s beyond ridiculous. It’s got to stop. Moments like this, there are no red or blue states.”
Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla.) said Greene should have her "head examined."
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