Florida braces for Hurricane Milton as evacuations begin

As Hurricane Milton barrels toward Florida’s west coast, residents are under urgent evacuation orders, with officials warning of potentially catastrophic impacts. The storm, expected to make landfall late Wednesday, has been upgraded back to a Category 5, according to the US National Hurricane Center.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced that 11 counties, home to around 5.9 million people, are under mandatory evacuation orders. "You are going to die" if evacuation orders are ignored, read a stark warning from The Guardian on Wednesday morning. Florida officials emphasise that residents should not rely on hopes that the storm will weaken before hitting land.

Hurricane Milton is currently moving northeast across the Gulf of Mexico at approximately 10 mph (17 kph). The storm is on track for a direct hit on Tampa and St. Petersburg, threatening to flood the region with towering storm surges. The Associated Press reports that the hurricane could turn debris from the recent devastation caused by Hurricane Helene into dangerous projectiles.

The storm's strength and course suggest it could be one of the most powerful to strike the region in decades, with forecasters labeling it a potential "once-in-a-century" event.

Hospitals and long-term care facilities along the Gulf Coast are urgently relocating patients in preparation. As of Tuesday afternoon, 10 hospitals and over 300 health care facilities, including 63 nursing homes and 169 assisted living centers, have evacuated, according to Kim Smoak, Deputy Secretary of Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration.

Steve McCoy, chief of the Florida Department of Health’s Bureau of Emergency Medical Oversight, described it as the state’s "largest evacuation ever."

Health officials are using nearly 600 vehicles to transport patients out of the storm’s path, with evacuation efforts continuing until winds reach sustained speeds of 40 mph.

The approaching hurricane has also led to the closure of some of Florida’s biggest tourist attractions. Walt Disney World Resort announced the closure of all four of its main theme parks starting Wednesday afternoon, despite being located in inland Florida.

Although the parks are southwest of Orlando, Milton’s projected path through central Florida has forced Disney to take precautionary measures, with closures set to begin at 1 p.m. ET on Wednesday.