Milton back to category 5, landfall imminent

TAMPA BAY: As hurricane Milton inches closer to making landfall on the Florida coastline, it was once again classified as a category 5 storm on Tuesday, after previously being weakened to a category 4.

The US National Hurricane Centre revealed on Tuesday that the storm had intensified again, breaking through the category 5 threshold with winds of 270 kph. ‘

Florida is bracing for impact, with 5000 members of the states national guard being mobilized in preparation for landfall. Helicopters and vehicles are being prepped for search and rescue operations that will surely be needed to aid the over 3 million people in the Tampa metro region.

Alongside rescue operations, hospitals on the states Gulf coast are preparing to provide emergency care once again, stockpiling food, water, and linens. Roughly 300 health care facilities and 10 hospitals have evacuated patients out of the storm’s path.

The chief of the Florida Department of Health’s Bureau of Emergency Medical Oversight called it the “largest evacuation ever.”

Hurricane Milton takes aim at Florida’s battered Gulf Coast

The hurricane centre stated that “Milton has the potential to be one of the most destructive hurricanes on record for west-central Florida,” as forecasters continue to urge residents to evacuate.

While forecasters have informed that its not possible to pinpoint the exact landfall location, the storm is expected to hit near Tampa late Wednesday night.

The destruction left in the wake of Hurricane Helene is also expected to amplify the danger of the coming storm, as debris will turn into projectiles when Milton strikes. Governor Ron DeSantis deployed hundreds of dump trucks to hopefully remove the debris before the storm makes landfall.

Hurricane Milton will be the first major storm to hit Tampa Bay directly since 1921.

Debate surges on category 6 hurricane amid hurricane Milton’s fury

Roughly 5.9 million people across eleven Florida counties are under mandatory evacuation orders, as Milton is expected to hit later today. The category 5 storm will likely cause even more devastation than Helene, which took the lives of roughly 230 people.