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Millions of people are scrambling to leave Florida in the final hours of calm before the ‘storm of the century’ is set to demolish the state’s coastline – with trapped locals and holidaymakers told it may be too late for them to flee.
The state is holding its breath as category-5 Hurricane Milton is set to devastate the Tampa region later today with forecasters warning 15-foot floods and 175 miles-per-hour winds will almost certainly lay waste to huge swathes of land.
School districts closed, businesses shut down and mandatory evacuation orders were issued for some six million people as weather officials declared the tempest could be one of the most destructive hurricanes on record.
Thousands of fleeing cars clogged Florida’s highways ahead of the storm amid a mass exodus, but the roads were seen completely empty this morning. Many have chosen to stay in their homes to ride out the storm, but analysts and local officials fear they will struggle to survive.
Tampa Mayor Jane Castor delivered a grave warning to her constituents, announcing flatly: ”If you choose to stay… you are going to die.’
She went on to note that the 15 feet (4.5 metres) of storm surge forecast for her city would