Florida residents fled – or defied warnings and tried to take shelter – on Wednesday in the final hours before Hurricane Milton, a lethal Category 4 storm, roars out of the ocean and tears across the state.
Milton was downgraded by the US weather service from top-of-the-scale Category 5 to a 4 early in the day.
"It's a matter of life and death," President Joe Biden said Tuesday. "Evacuate now, now, now."
Making matters worse, Milton comes on the heels of Hurricane Helene, which flooded the same west parts of Florida before wreaking havoc across remote areas of North Carolina and further inland.
Airlines put on extra flights out of Tampa, Orlando, Fort Myers and Sarasota, as highways clogged up with escaping traffic and gas stations sold out of fuel.
However, not all Floridians, who have seen many hurricanes come and go, were expected to obey the evacuation orders.
John Gomez, 75, traveled all the way from Chicago to try to save his Florida home. "I think it's better to be here in case something happens," Gomez said.
Tampa city Mayor Jane Castor's warning was brutally stark. "If you choose to stay in one of those evacuation areas, you are going to die," she said on CNN.
Global Warming Factor
Scientists say global warming has a role in intense storms as warmer ocean surfaces release more water vapor, providing additional energy for storms, which exacerbates their winds.
A report by the World Weather Attribution group, published on Wednesday, said that Hurricane Helene's torrential rain and powerful winds were made about 10% more intense due to climate change.
Storms of Helene's magnitude were formerly anticipated once every 130 years. Now, the probability is closer to once every 53 years, on average.
On the ground, communities hit by deadly Hurricane Helene have rushed to remove debris that could become dangerous projectiles as Milton approaches.
Across the southeastern United States, emergency workers are still struggling to provide relief after Helene, which killed at least 230 people.
Gerard Martinez and Daniel Stublen with AFP
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