Florida on alert as Hurricane Milton approaches

Photo: Rebecca Blackwell Associated Press Ted Carlson and his mechanic friend Evan Purcell unload belongings from Purcell’s apartment before the hurricane hits Holmes Beach on Florida’s Anna Maria Island Tuesday.

Alex Fontaine

Published at 11:11 a.m. Updated at 6:58 p.m.

• United States

It's all uproar in Florida at the approaching hurricane Milton, to the point where Tampa Mayor Jane Castor issued a stark warning: “If you choose to stay in one of the evacuation zones, you’re going to die.” Officials are calling on residents in several areas to leave before the hurricane arrives Wednesday night.

“The gas stations have been out of gas for three days, we’re seeing lines all the time… It’s chaotic!” says Brittany Bishop, an American who has lived in Ruskin, south of Tampa, for about a decade. Le Devoir contacted her while she was visiting relatives in Margate, in southeast Florida, with her father and his wife.

The highways that evacuate the most at-risk areas have been “a parking lot since Sunday night,” she says. Bottled water is in high demand at grocery stores, selling out in the blink of an eye.

The Massachusetts native points out that Hurricane Helene, which killed nearly 200 people less than two weeks ago, caused considerable damage. In Ruskin, several areas have “lost everything” and still don’t have access to drinking water, she explains. “There’s definitely more panic about the upcoming storm, especially when you see how much we were affected by Helene, which didn’t even hit us directly.” »

« A matter of life and death »

The message from authorities is very clear and has been well communicated, says Brittany Bishop. “If you are in an evacuation zone, you need to leave.” The west-central part of the state is likely to be the hardest hit, and several regions are under mandatory evacuation orders.

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Photo: Martin Zetina Associated Press In the Mexican state of Yucatán, the effect of “Milton” was already being felt Tuesday, as seen at this port near Progreso.

State Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday that “the entire Florida peninsula is under some form of watch or alert.” It could be “the worst storm to hit Florida in a century,” President Joe Biden said. “You need to evacuate now, this is a matter of life and death.”

The Category 5 storm — the most severe — on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale, which measures hurricane intensity, could pack winds of up to 170 mph. The National Hurricane Center called Milton “extremely dangerous.” On its website, the agency lists life-threatening flooding of up to 8 feet (about 2.4 meters).

In the Tampa area, flooding could be twice as severe as that caused by Helene, according to weather expert Michael Lowry. “Milton strengthened Monday at a tremendous pace,” one of the “fastest ever observed in the Atlantic basin,” he added.

The hurricane is currently moving through the Gulf of Mexico and is expected to hit the sunshine state — which, under the circumstances, is a misnomer — on Wednesday night. Scientists believe that warming waters caused by climate change could increase the rapid intensification of storms.

Quebecers worried

The Government of Canada is recommending that people “avoid all non-essential travel” to certain areas of Florida. And “for those who are there, it’s important to follow evacuation orders,” warns David Marcille, a communications advisor at CAA-Quebec. For those who plan to travel there, “it’s important to refer to carrier policies” to determine how flights to affected areas will be postponed or canceled.

“People are more worried than usual,” observes Adam Veilleux, a real estate agent based in West Palm Beach, on Florida’s east coast. While the area is less likely to suffer major damage, residents have still received warnings to prepare for heavy rain and strong winds. Since last Friday, the uncertain trajectory of Milton has caused a lot of excitement.

As a real estate agent, he offers his services to monitor the properties of Quebec's snowbirds. “The phone is ringing non-stop! People are very worried about their homes, they want to make sure everything is okay to weather the storm.”

Despite the fear of property damage, Quebecers are no more reluctant to travel to Florida, according to him. “The majority of Quebecers do not [go there] during hurricane season.” Some, however, would be hesitant to settle on the west coast, since it has suffered several major hurricanes in recent years, he explains. But “there is no part of Florida that is safe […] from a major hurricane,” Mr. Veilleux specifies.

With Agence France-Presse