FLORIDA, USA — All eyes are on the Gulf Coast as Hurricane Milton’s eye barrels toward land.
The record-breaking hurricane is set to strike the heart of the Sunshine State. Many people have chosen to evacuate, but others have decided to stay. Hurricane Milton is projected to cause deadly storm surge and devastating wind.
“A lot of places nearby were devastated,” Laurie Sore of New Port Richey, Fla. said.
The storm is about 20 miles north of Tampa. She’s referring to the impact of Hurricane Helene just two weeks ago which left debris scattered across the same general area of Florida.
“It’s going to blow all that stuff around making what is a dangerous situation to begin with even more dangerous,” FOX61 Meteorologist Matt Scott said.
Florida is about to face a second and more powerful major hurricane.
“We are indeed in that cone,” Daniel Marsella of Riverview, Fla. said.
Milton’s cone of uncertainty has been shifting by the hour.
“This is as perfect of a hurricane as you are going to get in terms of the potential to do damage,” Scott added.
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Sore and Marsella are both squarely in Milton’s path and are staying put.
“We feel safe in this house and we’ve got my parents and my sister staying with us,” Sore said.
Her biggest worry is having to get somewhere fast. She’s disabled and uses a wheelchair.
“I worry about if rain gets into the house and the wheelchair, that’s my legs. So if I lost my chair or it shorted out and didn’t work, I’m stuck. I can't move,” Sore explained.
The chair is charged with electricity.
“We could be without power for a week, possibly longer,” Sore said.
Just over an hour south of her lives Dan Marsella in his mid-rise apartment. Dan moved from Connecticut to Florida about 10 years ago to enjoy the beaches and sunshine. He’s learning now that lifestyle comes with some additional risk.
“My wife and I were looking at purchasing a home here in Tampa relatively shortly and these natural disasters have made us rethink where we put down our roots,” Marsella said.
Both Sore and Marsella said they made their decisions to stay carefully. But they urge everyone in a mandatory evacuation zone to get out before it’s too late.
“I think this is going to cause significant infrastructure damage,” Marsella said.
“This storm is no joke and people are going to die,” Sore added.
The devastation in Florida will also have a ripple effect across the country. Eversource said they are on standby to provide mutual aid for power restoration while the Red Cross of Connecticut put out an urgent call for blood donations.
Matt Caron is a reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at mcaron@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.
RELATED:
Save the Children is delivering essential supplies and support to those affected by Hurricane Milton
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