Hurricane Milton live updates: Latest path of storm as Tampa warned of horrifying new danger

Florida residents have been warned to avoid Milton flooding whenever possible due to the risk of deadly flesh-eating bacteria.

The state health department says Milton’s storm surge will contain elevated levels of Vibrio bacteria.

It can infect people with open wounds or with compromised immune systems or liver disease.

Diabetics and cancer sufferers are also more vulnerable to Vibrio infections.

Heavy rains and flooding such as those expected during Milton increase the concentration of Vibrio in the water.

Milton winds are beginning to hit the coasts of Florida. The eye of the storm should hit the Tampa Bay area early Thursday as a Category 4 hurricane.

Vibrio bacteria are shown under a microscope. The flesh-eating bacteria will be present in greater quantities in Milton’s flood waters, health officials warned.

Texan Adán Pérez was infected with Vibrio after dipping his toe in the water of a water park

Perez, pictured in hospital, suffered horrific swelling and lost much of the flesh in his lower right leg. People on Milton Road have been warned to stay away from flooding to avoid suffering the same ordeal.

• Hurricane Milton was once again upgraded to a Category 5 storm as it moves toward Florida’s west coast.
• The Tampa Bay area, home to more than 3.3 million people, faced the possibility of widespread destruction after avoiding direct hits from major hurricanes for more than a century.
• Milton is expected to make landfall in Florida late Wednesday or early Thursday as an “extremely dangerous hurricane.”
• The latest models show Milton arriving in Tampa at 1 a.m. Thursday.

• Clearwater, Florida, appeared deserted Wednesday morning as the area prepares for Hurricane Milton, which is expected to make landfall Wednesday night.

• Joe, in a video now circulating widely online, explains that “God” told him to “come here and take a boat.” He backs me up. I’m in good shape. I’m not worrying.

• Researchers waded into the storm while collecting data on historic Hurricane Milton.
• They call their plane Hurricane ‘Miss Piggy’, according to their social networks.

• Officials said those who decided to stay and ride out Hurricane Milton would have to fend for themselves, and Tampa Mayor Jane Castor declared that the 15 feet of storm surge predicted for her city would be deep enough to submerge entire houses. .
• “So if you’re in it, that’s basically the coffin you’re in,” he said flatly.

• Pinellas County officials have warned that storm surge in some areas could submerge entire homes.
• They said homes may be removed from their foundations and warned people in the danger zone that they likely will not survive the storm surge.

• Officials have warned that even inland locations face massive flooding due to persistent rainfall of between 12 and 16 inches in the Tampa area.
• The heaviest rain is expected to fall between 9am and 5am and could cause catastrophic flooding.
• Rain is expected south of the I-4 corridor and includes Orlando, The New York Times reported.

• At least 11 Florida counties, home to about 5.9 million people, are under mandatory evacuation orders.
• The National Hurricane Center predicted that Milton, a Category 5 hurricane for much of its approach, would likely weaken but remain a major hurricane when it makes landfall late Wednesday or early Thursday.

A thunderstorm and dark gray clouds were seen over Tampa Bay Tuesday night as Milton approaches the area.

The sun-drenched city experiences storms regularly. But its position in the Gulf of Mexico usually protects it from hurricanes, which tend to form in the Atlantic Ocean.

Milton is expected to be the worst hurricane to hit Tampa since 1921. Parts of the area were flooded by Hurricane Helene two weeks ago, and 12 locals died.

But Helene quickly moved north, where it caused the greatest devastation in North Carolina and Tennessee, flooding valleys and wiping entire cities off the map.

Helene killed more than 230 people and the death toll is expected to rise.

Milton is expected to bring much more extreme weather conditions, including a fifteen-foot wall of water known as a storm surge.

Tampa Bay residents in the storm’s path have been given days to evacuate, but some have chosen to stay behind.