Chilling warnings for Tampa Bay area residents ahead of Hurricane Milton
TAMPA, Fla. - Hurricane Milton is on track to slam into the west coast of Florida as one of the most destructive storms the Tampa Bay area has ever seen. Local officials are not mincing words as they urge storm-weary residents to evacuate.
Tampa
Mayor Jane Castor, the city’s former police chief, offered a grim warning about the potential for storm surge from Milton, which could be as high as 12 feet or more in Tampa depending on the specific point of landfall.
"I’ve said many times that [if] you want to pick a fight with Mother Nature, she’s winning 100 percent of the time," Castor said Tuesday. "And individuals that are in these, say you’re in a single-story home. Twelve feet is above that house. So, if you’re in it, you know, basically that’s the coffin you’re in."
RELATED: Understanding Hurricane Milton storm surge projections for Tampa Bay area
Pinellas County
Two weeks ago, Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri warned coastal residents to evacuate ahead of Hurricane Helene. Not everyone listened, and he repeated that warning Sunday ahead of Milton.
"It’s going to be bad. That’s all you really need to know. You need to know that. It’s going to be bad and everybody just needs to get out," he said. "I said that last time and people didn’t heed those warnings, didn’t heed the plea. We ended up with a bad situation where 12 people in Pinellas County a week and a half ago died because they drowned, one was electrocuted, because they didn't listen."
"This is it, folks," Emergency Management Director Cathie Perkins said at a Wednesday morning news conference. "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."
People arrive to shelter at Buffalo Creek Middle School ahead of Hurricane Milton expected landfall in Bradenton, Florida on October 9, 2024. (Photo by MIGUEL J. RODRIGUEZ CARRILLO/AFP via Getty Images)
Sarasota County
Sarasota County Emergency Management Chief Sandra Tapfumaneyi echoed the warnings about storm surge, which could be up to 15 feet along the coast, and water will rise significantly even along creeks and rivers.
"We do not want you staying in your home if you’re anywhere near a body of water," Tapfumaneyi said. "This is going to be an intense disaster for Sarasota County. Evacuate now if you have not done so already."
State and federal response
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody said ahead of Hurricane Milton’s landfall that "if they say get out and it is going to hit us like this and they can't predict exactly that storm surge and you are in an evacuation zone, you probably need to write your name in permanent marker on your arm so that people know who you are when they get to you afterwards."
"I have urged everyone currently located in Hurricane Milton’s path to listen to local officials and follow safety instructions... if you're under evacuation orders, you should evacuate now," President Biden said Tuesday. "It's a matter of life and death – and that is not hyperbole – it is a matter of life and death."