LEILA FADEL, HOST:
Millions of people who live on Florida's west coast are preparing and waiting anxiously for Hurricane Milton.
A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
Yeah. Milton is one of the most powerful hurricanes ever in the Gulf of Mexico and is expected to hit Florida late tonight. The Hurricane has 160 mph winds and could bring a storm surge as high as 15 feet to parts of Florida's coast between Fort Myers and Tampa.
FADEL: NPR's Greg Allen is in Florida, and he joins us now from Brandon, just outside Tampa. Hi, Greg.
GREG ALLEN, BYLINE: Hi, Leila.
FADEL: OK. So Florida was just really battered by Hurricane Helene. Has that motivated people to take evacuation orders seriously now?
ALLEN: It appears so. You know, people are still cleaning up here from Helene, and there are still piles of debris everywhere when you drive around here. But another factor, though, is that meteorologists and emergency managers are warning that the impacts of Milton will be worse than Helene. And this is an area that's very susceptible to storm surge. Here's National Hurricane Center director Mike Brennan.
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MIKE BRENNAN: And you're going to have structural damage to buildings. Some buildings will wash away. Evacuation routes will be quickly cut off. We've lost people to storm surge in previous hurricanes who were trying to get out at the last minute, and they drown in their cars.
FADEL: Wow. So are people in the storm surge areas leaving?
ALLEN: Yes, many are. We have reports that some of the riskiest areas, you know, the beach communities out on the barrier islands, that they've really emptied out. But there will always be some who decide to stay, of course. I ran into one yesterday. Edward Vilmitty (ph) was gassing up his vehicle and heading out to his home in Tarpon Springs. He lives near the Gulf and is in an evacuation zone, but he said he was planning to stay.
EDWARD VILMITTY: I survived Hurricane Charley. I've survived Hurricane Irma. You know, we lost power for two, three weeks at a time for both Irma and Charley. For me, it's just something I'm used to.
ALLEN: This one, of course, they're saying could be the worst one in a century, right?
VILMITTY: Right, absolutely.
ALLEN: Fifteen-foot storm surge some areas.
VILMITTY: Terrifying, definitely.
ALLEN: You know, Vilmitty said he thought he might see as much as 10 feet of water in his home, but he said he definitely was not leaving.
FADEL: Now, Milton is a monster of a storm now, and it hasn't made landfall yet. How powerful could it get when it does reach land?
ALLEN: Well, the National Hurricane Center expects that Milton will weaken some as it approaches the coast, but it's still projected to be a major Category 4 hurricane with 130 mph winds when it makes landfall. And Milton will remain at hurricane strength as it crosses west-east across the Florida Peninsula before exiting out onto the Atlantic. Governor Ron DeSantis is warning residents of Orlando and other parts of Central Florida that they have to be ready. They may see wind strong enough to destroy mobile homes and other structures, as well as tornadoes. And there could be as much as 18 inches in some areas likely to bring flash flooding. Here's the governor.
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RON DESANTIS: So this is not just an event about the west coast of Florida. That will be where the initial impacts and probably the most significant, but the impacts will not be limited there.
FADEL: OK. So Milton is expected to hit tonight. How much can you tell us about precisely when and what parts of Florida could be hit hardest?
ALLEN: Right. Yeah. Well, it looks like Milton will hit Florida's west coast either late tonight or early tomorrow morning. The speed is varied as it's come through the Gulf. As to where it hits, that's an important question, but one of the National Hurricane Center warns us that we should not focus on. Because Milton has grown in size as it's approached the coast, its storm surge, winds and rain will affect a very large area. Hurricanes, of course, also sometimes wobble as they grow and reform, and Milton has done that a few times. The models show it now on a path a little south of Tampa Bay. But it's important to note that this far out, the Hurricane Center's track forecasts are off by an average of 60 miles. And the message is so almost all of Florida's west coast should be ready for the storm.
FADEL: NPR's Greg Allen in Brandon, Florida. Thank you, Greg, and stay safe.
ALLEN: OK. Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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