Hurricane Milton latest: Tampa airport closes as millions hit the roads before hurricane makes landfall in Florida

Tampa Bay officials are closing access to running water ahead of Hurricane Milton.

Manatee County officials said the “necessary interruption of service” would “ensure utility infrastructure remains intact and save sewer lift stations” from the storm’s devastating impacts.

The county also suspended trash collection services.

In the Sarasota County city of Venice, faucets and even fire hydrants will be closed starting Tuesday night.

This will continue as long as Milton’s wrath on the county lasts and for several more days.

“Once service is restored, you will be advised to boil your water until you receive notification that the water is safe for consumption,” city officials said.

Tampa is especially vulnerable to the destructive impacts of hurricanes, meaning Milton could be catastrophic, according to Dr. Steven Godby, a natural hazards expert at Nottingham Trent University’s School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences.

Dr. Godby said this is due to a combination of the low waters near Tampa Bay and its dense population and infrastructure.

“Tampa has long been considered the most vulnerable metropolitan area in the United States to storm surge flooding,” Dr. Godby told DailyMail.com.

‘Direct hurricanes on Florida’s west coast are rare, but much of it is in low-lying areas and the relatively shallow waters off the coast make it vulnerable to large storm surges.

‘The last major hurricane (category 3 on the Saffir-Simpson scale) to affect the Tampa Bay region made landfall on October 25, 1921, causing a storm surge of 3 to 3.5 meters and winds of 185 km /h that caused losses that today would be 180 million dollars.

‘With Hurricane Milton approaching Tampa, it is worth noting that the population at the time was around 160,000 and has now increased to more than three million, many of whom live on soils less than three meters above ground. sea.

“Large numbers of homes, schools, government buildings and critical infrastructure are at risk of flooding and wind damage.”

Dr. Godby added that debris left behind by Hurricane Helene, which hit the region two weeks ago, also poses an additional risk of strong winds whipping projectiles.

“Authorities have been emphasizing that people living along this coast have no vivid memories of this type of storm, they need to evacuate if told to do so and be somewhere safe Tuesday night,” he said. .

Floridians are doing everything they can to protect their homes and businesses from Milton’s attack, deploying sandbags and boarding up their windows.

Many have been told to leave immediately, and it is unclear where they will return as the severe hurricane is expected to cause “catastrophic damage” to well-built structures, the National Hurricane Center warned.

Lightning can be seen flashing in the eye of Hurricane Milton, which is currently passing through the Gulf of Mexico.

Milton expanded this morning as it moved over the Gulf of Mexico toward Tampa, potentially making it “one of the most destructive hurricanes ever recorded” in west-central Florida, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The hurricane’s 155 mph winds are becoming broader from the center of the storm, greatly increasing its ability to cause widespread destruction.

Milton’s gales extended about 80 miles from the eye of the storm through Monday, increasing to just over 100 miles by Wednesday morning.

“Milton remains a relatively compact hurricane, but the wind field is expected to continue to grow in size as it approaches Florida,” the National Hurricane Center said.

“In fact, the official forecast shows that hurricane and tropical storm force winds will approximately double in size when it makes landfall.”

The Fort Myers/Naples/Cape Coral area of ​​Florida on I-75 toward Miami was nearly at a standstill Tuesday morning as people tried to flee.

Similar scenes are also playing out on I-4 towards Orlando and NB I-75 out of Tampa.