For the second time in as many weeks, Florida’s Gulf Coast is bracing for another major hurricane, which is expected to hit on Wednesday.
Hurricane Milton is aimed to hit Central Florida as a Category 3 storm. Florida is under a Hurricane and Storm Surge Watch, and officials are urging residents to evacuate and prepare for power outages and life-threatening storm surges.
By Sunday, a state of emergency was issued to 51 counties, including Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Miami-Dade and Broward. The Tampa Bay Area has not experienced a major hurricane—Category 3 or higher—within 50 miles of the city of Tampa in over a century.
“Milton will be a historic storm for the west coast of Florida,” the National Weather Service in Tampa Bay said in a briefing. As of Monday morning, Oct. 7, 2024, Hurricane Milton has sustained winds of over 155 mph and is now a Category 5 storm.
Airport Closings
Tampa International Airport has announced closing at 11 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 8. Officials announced that all commercial and cargo operations at the airport will be suspended, effective at 9 a.m. on Tuesday.
The airport will not be open to the public and will not serve as a shelter for people or vehicles during the storm and is expected to remain closed until it can be assessed for damage after Hurricane Milton passes through the Tampa Bay area. St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport has also announced closing at 11 p.m. on Tuesday.
Cruise Ship Updates At Port
As of Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, Port Tampa Bay is “working with the National Weather Service, U.S. Coast Guard and state and local partners to monitor the potential impact of Hurricane Milton in the Gulf. As always, the Port’s priorities are safety of life, protection of the environment, and maritime commerce resiliency.”
The port also provided the customer service lines for Carnival, Margaritaville at Sea and Royal Caribbean, which were all scheduled to sail from Port Tampa Bay this week.
Helene Destruction Lingering
Just weeks ago, the Florida Panhandle, a popular tourist destination, was hit by Hurricane Helene, which severely disrupted travel plans for the area’s coastal towns. In Western North Carolina, the town of Asheville and nearly all of the surrounding communities, are currently off-limits.
In a travel advisory statement from Visit North Carolina, visitors are being advised to “call their travel provider to confirm alternative travel plans,” to the area and avoid the mountains of Western North Carolina due to flooding, landslides, road closures and downed trees.
“If you cannot reach your travel provider, you should consider them to be unavailable and delay your trip until you have confirmation they are open and ready to welcome visitors,” according to the statement.
The Florida Panhandle is gradually recovering from the damages caused by Hurricane Helene. While some areas have experienced significant destruction, many popular tourist destinations are now open for visitors.
Despite the widespread flooding and power outages, popular beaches, state parks and attractions are welcoming guests once again. Local communities are diligently working to rebuild and repair infrastructure, ensuring a return to normalcy.
