DeSantis Says 'Time Is Running Out' To Flee Hurricane Milton
6 weeks ago
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Tuesday (October 8) urged residents to heed evacuation orders as Hurricane Milton approached, saying "time is running out" to execute a plan.
"We hope to have as minimal damage is possible, but looking at how big this storm is, yeah, there's going to be significant damage in different parts of Florida. And it's not just going to be with the surge - that will be probably the worst, but this storm is going to go through the peninsula as a hurricane and you're going to have hurricane force winds on the east coast of Florida. So make the decisions now and put - execute your plan to be able to protect yourself and your family no matter what property damage is done, we can rebuild homes. We can rebuild businesses. We can get people back on their feet, but only if they're safe and they survived the storm. We're not going to be able to bring people back who stay behind in 10 or 15 feet of storm surge. So, you have time today, time is running out, but you do have time today to make the decision to heed any evacuation orders and to do what you need to do to protect yourself and your family," said Ron DeSantis, Florida Governor.
"Let's prepare for the worst, and let's pray that we get a weakening and hope for the least amount of damage possible. But we must be prepared for a major, major impact to the west coast of Florida," said DeSantis.
Florida's densely populated west coast, still reeling from the devastating Hurricane Helene less than two weeks ago, braced for the hurricane's landfall in the Tampa Bay area on Wednesday.
If the hurricane drives directly up the bay, it will mark the first time that has occurred since 1921, when the now-sprawling Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater area was a relative backwater.
While fluctuations in intensity are expected, Milton is forecast to remain an extremely dangerous hurricane through landfall in Florida, according to the hurricane center. That means catastrophic damage will occur, including power outages expected to last days.
"We hope to have as minimal damage is possible, but looking at how big this storm is, yeah, there's going to be significant damage in different parts of Florida. And it's not just going to be with the surge - that will be probably the worst, but this storm is going to go through the peninsula as a hurricane and you're going to have hurricane force winds on the east coast of Florida. So make the decisions now and put - execute your plan to be able to protect yourself and your family no matter what property damage is done, we can rebuild homes. We can rebuild businesses. We can get people back on their feet, but only if they're safe and they survived the storm. We're not going to be able to bring people back who stay behind in 10 or 15 feet of storm surge. So, you have time today, time is running out, but you do have time today to make the decision to heed any evacuation orders and to do what you need to do to protect yourself and your family," said Ron DeSantis, Florida Governor.
"Let's prepare for the worst, and let's pray that we get a weakening and hope for the least amount of damage possible. But we must be prepared for a major, major impact to the west coast of Florida," said DeSantis.
Florida's densely populated west coast, still reeling from the devastating Hurricane Helene less than two weeks ago, braced for the hurricane's landfall in the Tampa Bay area on Wednesday.
If the hurricane drives directly up the bay, it will mark the first time that has occurred since 1921, when the now-sprawling Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater area was a relative backwater.
While fluctuations in intensity are expected, Milton is forecast to remain an extremely dangerous hurricane through landfall in Florida, according to the hurricane center. That means catastrophic damage will occur, including power outages expected to last days.
