Tampa Mayor Jane Castor on Oct. 7, 2024. (Photo by Mitch Perry/Florida Phoenix)
As Hurricane Milton strengthened to a Category 5 storm Monday morning, public officials in Hillsborough County had a simple and direct message for residents of areas subject to evacuation orders — if they failed to go, they could die.
Milton had maximum sustained winds of 160 miles per hour as it travelled eastward over the Gulf of Mexico, the National Hurricane Center reported just before noon eastern time. The storm is expected to make landfall either late Wednesday or early Thursday with “an increasing risk of life-threatening storm surge and damaging winds for portions of the west coast of the Florida Peninsula,” according to the National Weather Service.
“We’ve ordered evacuations for zones A & B for a very good reason,” Hillsborough County Fire Chief Jason Dougherty said during a press briefing in Tampa. “If you remain there, you could die. My men and women could die trying to rescue you. They are heroes, but please do not put them in that situation. Help them by leaving zones A & B today.”
“It’s going to be a surge event. It’s going to be a rain event. It’s going to be a wind event, and, if it stays on the predicted trajectory, we are in for over a century’s storm here with Milton,” said Tampa Mayor Jane Castor. “This is the real deal here with Milton.”
With Helene still in the collective consciousness of so many people affected by that Category 4 hurricane, Castor recalled how Tampa’s first responders were inundated with calls that night after the storm surge began threatening the safety of those who did not evacuate when urged to do so.
“We started getting calls, hundreds of calls, from people saying, ‘I made a mistake. I need you to come get me.’ We can’t do that [here]. Especially if we’re going from a 6-to-7-foot storm surge to a 10-to-12-foot storm surge. You’re not going to survive that.”
Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister spelled out the potential difference in how Helene hit the county vs. what Milton is anticipated to do.
“The common goal is to keep you and your families alive. Help us do that,” he said. “The big difference between this storm and Hurricane Helene is the fact that between first responders and law enforcement the sustained winds never went above 40 [mph]. We never had to suspend service. We feel pretty confident that regardless of the track of this storm, that’s not going to be the case this time. There’s going to be a time where we’re going to have to suspend service.”
Feds ‘fully engaged’
Tampa Bay area Democratic U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor on Oct. 7, 2024. (Photo by Mitch Perry/Florida Phoenix)
Tampa Bay Democratic U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor said the federal government was “fully engaged” in the preparation for Hurricane Milton across the state with more than 7,000 personnel now mobilized to pre-position meals, water, tarps, “and all the resources that we know that we are going to need in the future.”
She said that in this time of crisis, people in evacuation zones should check in with their neighbors who may need assistance.
“I ask you all to look out for the neighbor with special needs,” she said. “Who is the older neighbor on your street that needs to relocate? Who is the disabled veteran that served our country? It’s now time to serve them and come to their rescue and make sure that they are connected with resources, so they stay safe.”
Another safety message that public officials wanted to pound into the minds of drivers of electric vehicles was how EVs can be fire hazards, as reports of cars erupting in flame due to salt-water flooding during Helene surfaced last week.
“Never drive through floodwater,” cautioned Hillsborough County Commission Chairman Ken Hagan. “Water and EV batteries do not mix. Water will not only damage your battery but will likely lead to a damaging fire. Combustion can occur in an instant or manifest itself in weeks or months after exposure to saltwater.”
Florida residents attempting to learn if they live in an evacuation zone can go to the Florida Division of Emergency Management’s “Know Your Zone” website for that information.