Hurricane Milton: ‘Time is running out’ to evacuate, Florida governor warns

globalnews.ca:

As Hurricane Milton, an intense Category 4 storm, closes in on Florida’s coastal areas, officials are urging residents to evacuate while they still have time.

Milton is expected to make landfall on the Florida’s Gulf Coast Wednesday night or Thursday morning as a “dangerous major hurricane,” bringing in devastating winds and heavy rainfall, according to the National Hurricane Centrr.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the state is “bearing down to where the storm is going to arrive within the next 24 hours” and that “time is running out” for people to get to safety.

Milton has been fluctuating between categories 4 and 5 and currently has maximum sustained winds of 145 m.p.h., the National Hurricane Centre reported at noon ET Wednesday.

“While there is the hope that it will weaken more before landfall, there is high confidence that this hurricane is going to pack a major, major punch and do an awful lot of damage,” DeSantis said at a news conference in Tallahassee.

A state of emergency for 51 Florida counties is in place and 149 shelters have been set up across the state to accommodate almost 200,000 people, he said.

“You still have time to evacuate if you are in an evacuation zone.”

Millions of people in Florida’s coastal areas have been told to evacuate as Hurricane Milton makes its way towards the state. Some residents have insisted they would stay despite the evacuation orders.

DeSantis said it would be “hazardous” to stay, especially for those who are in the evacuation zones, including the barrier islands, Sarasota County and other parts of coastal Charlotte County.

With the clock ticking, he said the best option would be to evacuate within your own county to one of the shelters.

“Certainly would be safe to do a very