Motorways in gridlock, fuel supplies 'run low' and even weather man breaks down as Hurricane Milton nears Florida

8 October 2024, 15:16

Florida governor Ron DeSantis has warned residents that “time is running out” to flee the state as Hurricane Milton nears its coastline.

Floridians have been in a desperate race to leave the sunshine state since evacuation warnings were issued on Monday, with highways in gridlock and fuel supplies threatening to run low.

The storm's winds reached 180mph on Monday night, as it became a Category 5 hurricane - the highest level.

It later weakened to Category 4 with winds of around 155mph as of Tuesday morning. It is expected to reach the US coast overnight on Wednesday into Thursday.

Read more: 'Flee or die,' Florida residents warned, as 180mph Hurricane Milton barrels towards major city

"There's no guarantee what the weather's going to be like starting Wednesday morning," DeSantis said Tuesday during a press conference at the state Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee.

"You may have a window where it may be safe, but you may not," he added.

"So use today as your day to finalize and execute the plan that is going to protect you and your family."

He added that, as things stand, fuel supplies are holding and the state is working with petrol companies to increase availability.

Major highways, including the i-75, were gridlocked early on Tuesday as thousands of residents desperately attempted to flee Milton’s path.

Residents have taken to social media over the last 24-hours, with some saying they don’t have the financial means to evacuate.

One user shared a clip of a gridlocked i-75 on X, writing: “This is why a lot of people are staying behind, at a certain point traffic is so bad you cannot get out of Florida, or there's no gas. So you're stuck outside of Gainesville.”

While another said her son is trapped at home due to fuel shortages.

She wrote: “Everywhere is out of gas and roads are too backed up for him to evaluate.

“He has family in Georgia but can't get there. This is scary. He is scared. I am terrified for him.”

Milton risks causing unprecedented destruction in the sunshine state, with one meteorologist breaking down on live TV at the thought of it.

John Morales was reporting on the hurricane on NBC affiliate WTVJ, explaining just how dangerous the storm could be.

At one point, Morales breaks down as he says: “I apologize – this is just horrific.

”It’s just an incredible, incredible, incredible hurricane. It has dropped...,” he continued.

“It has dropped 50 millibars in ten hours.”

He added: “I apologize, this is just horrific.”

The hurricane is heading for Tampa, a coastal city of around 400,000 people that is thought to be particularly vulnerable to storm surges. Some 3.3 million live in the city and its suburbs.

Tampa Bay, midway down the west coast of Florida, has not been hit directly by a major hurricane since 1921.

It comes after Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc in the same region less than two weeks ago, killing 12 people in the Tampa area, and around 200 overall in the US.

Milton, which was north of Mexico's Yucatan peninsula as of Tuesday morning, is expected to grow in size before it reaches the coast.

The Tampa mayor warned residents to leave the area before the hurricane makes landfall.

Jane Castor said: "I can say this without any dramatisation whatsoever; if you choose to stay in one of those evacuation areas, you are going to die.”

She added: "This is the real deal here with Milton. If you want to take on Mother Nature, she wins 100% of the time."

Around 15 million people in the wider region have been placed on hurricane watch.

Forecasters warned that Milton could bring a possible eight- to 12-foot (2.4- to 3.6-metre) storm surge, leading to evacuation orders being issued for beach communities all along the Gulf coast.

The hurricane will also bring very heavy rain, which is likely to cause flash flooding.

US officials at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said that the hurricane "poses an extremely serious threat to Florida and residents are urged to follow the orders of local officials."

President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration for Florida, and US representative Kathy Castor said 7,000 federal workers were mobilised to help in one of the largest mobilisations of federal personnel in history.

The strongest Atlantic hurricane on record is 1980's Allen, which reached wind speeds of 190 mph as it moved through the Caribbean and Gulf before striking Texas and Mexico.

The Tampa Bay area is still rebounding from Helene and its powerful surge - a wall of water up to eight feet it created even though its eye was 100 miles offshore.

Twelve people died there, with the worst damage along a string of barrier islands from St Petersburg to Clearwater.