Milton Explosively Intensifies Into Category 5 Hurricane (160 mph winds), Forcing Florida To Declare Largest Evacuations In Years

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By Tyler Durden

Hurricane Milton has explosively intensified into a Category 3 storm (now Cat 5 – Ed.) and continues churning in the western Gulf of Mexico on Monday morning with crosshairs on Florida’s Gulf Coast. On Sunday, the Florida Division of Emergency Management announced the largest evacuation since 2017.

This new tropical threat comes eleven days after Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region. Meanwhile, the Biden-Harris administration’s FEMA has faced mounting criticism for mishandling the initial relief response in North Carolina.

The latest advisory note from the National Hurricane Center (NHC) shows Milton has maximum sustained winds of 120 mph (now 160 mph and expected to become Cat 5 very soon, according to the latest update! – Ed.), or Category 3 strength on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. This means the hurricane is now a ‘major’ storm.

“There is an increasing risk of life-threatening storm surge and damaging winds for portions of the west coast of the Florida Peninsula beginning Tuesday night or early Wednesday,” the NHC said.

Milton is expected to cause a storm surge in the Tampa Bay area, with forecasts ranging between 8 and 12 feet. This is much higher than Hurricane Helene when the area recorded 7-8 feet of storm surge.

During a news conference on Sunday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a State of Emergency for 51 of the state’s 67 counties, up from 35 on Saturday.

DeSantis said, “This allows state officials to operate without the limitations of bureaucracy, making critical resources available to communities ahead of any potential storm impacts.”

Director Kevin Guthrie of the Florida Division of Emergency Management also told reporters that evacuations underway are the largest since 2017.

“I urge Floridians to finalize your storm preparations now, enact your plan. I highly encourage you to evacuate,” Guthrie said.

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor told CNN that residents should “Just go now” to “Beat the traffic and go now, and just go to higher ground.”

DeSantis noted, “The Florida National Guard, the Florida State Guard additional FDOT personnel and the Florida Highway Patrol have been activated and deployed to aid in debris removal and provide logistical support to local entities.”

The second tropical threat to hit the US Southeast in under two weeks is alarming since the Biden-Harris administration botched the first response efforts for North Carolina. Hundreds are dead across six states.

Meanwhile, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told reporters last week that FEMA “does not have the funds” to see Americans through the rest of this Atlantic hurricane season. The federal agency drained the funds on transportation and housing solutions for millions of migrants that Biden-Harris rolled out the red carpet via open southern borders.

Mayorkas was shopping for luxury clothing in the fancy Georgetown area this weekend.

“Joe Biden was at the beach when the hurricane came ashore. VP Harris was raising money w/ celebrities before staging a plane photo op. I promise you if a Republican were in the WH there would be no political restraint, just as there was none after Katrina,” CNN pundit Scott Jennings wrote on X.

Those in need in storm-ravaged areas might want to consider identifying as “Ukraine,” “Lebanon,” or non-US citizens to receive federal aid more quickly.

Source: ZeroHedge

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