Tampa Bay hasn’t been hit directly by a major hurricane since 1921. Milton might be the one Achi-News

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) – Thousands of people streamed out of the Tampa Bay region Tuesday ahead of what could be a once-in-a-century direct hit from Hurricane Milton, as crews worked furiously to stop furniture, machinery and other under water wreckage from Florida’s last big storm from becoming deadly projectiles in this one.

The preparations marked the last chance for millions of residents in the Tampa metro area to prepare for killer storm surges, ferocious winds and possible tornadoes in a place that has narrowly avoided a direct hit from a major storm for generations.

“Today is the last day to prepare,” said Craig Fugate, a former FEMA director who previously ran the state’s emergency operations department. “This brings everything.”

The Gov said Ron DeSantis said the state had used over 300 dump trucks that had removed 1,300 loads of debris left behind by Hurricane Helene by Tuesday afternoon. In Clearwater Beach, Nick Szabo spent a second long day removing 3-foot piles of soggy mattresses, couches and drywall after being hired by a local resident eager to help clear the roads and unwilling to wait for city contractors after u overwhelmed.

“All this crap is going to be missiles,” he said. “It’s like a spear coming at you.”

Although it had weakened slightly, Milton was still a powerful Category 4 storm and was expected to remain fairly strong as it crossed the state. It could make landfall Wednesday night in the Tampa Bay area, which has a population of more than 3.3 million people. The 11 Florida counties under mandatory evacuation orders are home to about 5.9 million people, according to county-level population estimates from the US Census Bureau.

Those who defy the orders are on their own, and first responders are not expected to risk their lives to save them in the height of the storm.

“You don’t have to get on the interstate and go far,” DeSantis told a news conference, assuring residents there would be enough gasoline to fuel their cars for the trip. “You can leave tens of miles. You don’t have to leave hundreds of miles away. You have options.”

Milton is forecast to cross central Florida and drop as much as 18 inches (46 centimeters) of rain as it heads toward the Atlantic Ocean, according to the National Hurricane Center. That path would largely spare other states ravaged by Helene, which killed at least 230 people on its path from Florida to the Carolinas.

Tampa Bay hasn’t been hit directly by a major hurricane since 1921, and authorities fear its luck is about to run out. Tampa Mayor Jane Castor issued increasingly dire warnings, noting that a 15-foot surge could swallow an entire house.

“So if you’re in it, that’s basically the coffin you’re in,” he said.

Most of Florida’s west coast was under a hurricane or tropical storm warning as the system and its 155 mph (249 kph) winds spun just off Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula, creeping ashore and sucking energy from warm waters Gulf of Mexico. Hurricane warnings were extended early Tuesday to parts of the state’s east coast.

In Riverview, south of Tampa, several drivers waiting in a long line for fuel Tuesday morning said they had no plans to leave.

“I think we’ll hang on, you know – tough,” said Martin Oakes, from nearby Apollo Beach. “We had shutters up. The house is all ready. So this is the final piece of the puzzle.”

Ralph Douglas, who lives in nearby Ruskin, said he, too, will stay put, in part because he’s worried about running out of gas trying to get back after the storm or being blocked by debris.

“Where I’m at right now, I don’t think I need to evacuate,” he said.

Milton quickly intensified on Monday, becoming a Category 5 storm for a time. The hurricane center downgraded Milton early Tuesday to a Category 4 hurricane, but forecasters said it was still “a very serious threat to Florida.” A storm surge warning extended south along Florida’s east coast to Port Canaveral, and a tropical storm watch was issued for the extreme northwest Bahamas.

At the Tampa airport, John Fedor and his wife were trying to catch a cab to storm shelter after missing multiple flights home to Philadelphia. They had hoped that taking a Caribbean cruise would bring them closer, but tensions were rising after they spent nearly $1,000 on unplanned transportation and hotel rooms due to travel delays. After a two-mile walk to the airport, Fedor’s suitcase broke open and the wheels broke.

“We looked into driving home, taking the train home, but nothing worked out,” John Fedor said. “We’re kind of stuck here.”

President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration for Florida, and the White House announced on Tuesday that it would postpone a trip to Germany and Angola to monitor the storm.

“This could be the worst storm to hit Florida in over a century,” Biden told reporters. “God willing it won’t be. But that’s how it looks at the moment.”

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has nearly 900 staff members in the region and has stocked two staging areas with 20 million meals and 40 million liters of water, the White House said.

“I need people to listen to their local officials to get out of harm’s way,” said FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell. “People don’t need to move far. They just need to move into the land.”

Stragglers were a problem during Helene and Ian in 2022. Many residents said they had evacuated during previous storms only to have large surges not materialize. But there was evidence on Tuesday that people were heeding the warnings to get out before Milton arrived.

The Florida Highway Patrol reported increasing northbound and eastbound traffic on all roads and said state troopers were escorting fuel tankers to assist with gasoline deliveries.

About 150 miles (240 kilometers) south of Tampa, Fort Myers Beach was practically a ghost town. Ian devastated the community two years ago with his 15ft (4.5 metre) storm surge. Fourteen people died there. On Tuesday, the nearby Callosahatchee River was already raging, hitting hard against the breakwater.

David Jalving and his family spent the morning installing planters and outdoor furniture at his parents’ home, which suffered significant damage from Ian. They moved back in just six months ago.

“It’s getting old, and every year it seems to get worse,” said Jalving, who hopes to convince his parents to move. He is also considering leaving Florida himself.

“I can’t handle another one,” he said.

Meanwhile in Mexico, authorities in the state of Yucatan reported only minor damage from Milton, who remained a bit offshore. Power lines, light poles and trees were downed near the coast, and some small thatched roof structures were destroyed, according to Yucatan Gov. Joaquín Díaz, but reported no deaths or injuries.

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Spencer reported from Fort Myers Beach. Associated Press writers Holly Ramer in New Hampshire, Curt Anderson and Kate Payne in Tampa, Freida Frisaro in Fort Lauderdale, Seth Borenstein in Washington and Mark Stevenson in Mexico City contributed to this report.