SARASOTA, Fla. — Preparations and evacuations were underway Monday along Florida’s Gulf Coast, where Hurricane Milton was intensifying into a “potentially catastrophic” Category 5 storm less than two weeks after Helene bore down on the Southeast.
In downtown Fort Myers, crews boarded up stores and restaurants. Residents in Tampa rushed to stock up on supplies at supermarkets. Debris removal continued throughout the state as officials urged residents to prepare for the worst and heed evacuation orders.
“If you’re in the path of Hurricane #Milton, the time to act is NOW,” the Federal Emergency Management Agency posted on X. “If evacuation orders are given, DO NOT DELAY — leave immediately. Staying could mean risking your life and the lives of those you care about.”
Cleon Dixon, a store owner in the St. Armands Circle area of Sarasota, was removing merchandise from her three stores, which all flooded when Helene pummeled the region. On Monday, she boarded up windows, taped down what she could and placed sandbags throughout her properties.
In the 30 years she has been in business, Dixon has never experienced so much damage in such a short amount of time, she said. Despite the burden and stress, she will try to keep a positive outlook through this unprecedented hurricane season, she said.
“I look at it like a challenge,” she said. “I can put up new displays. I always look at it that way.”
In Madeira Beach, on the Gulf of Mexico, residents who were still recovering from Helene’s wallop rushed to do it all over again.
John and Rhonda Keigher carefully carried a blue and white dollhouse to the trunk of their car. Rhonda built it 10 years ago, and it is one of the few belongings that survived Helene’s path of destruction.
“We don’t have a house, but we have this house,” John said.
Floodwater damaged every room in their home when Helene hit, he said. Although they had flood, hurricane and wind insurance, they do not plan to rebuild in Florida.
“We are exhausted,” Rhonda said, looking at the pile of debris they pulled out of their mud-covered house.
In Orlando, City Council member Patty Sheehan boarded up her home ahead of the hurricane. She urged residents to pay attention to official warnings but not to panic.
“We need to be prepared,” she said. “Make sure you’ve got your water. Fill up your bathtub so you can flush your toilet if the water goes down,”
She also advised residents to do their laundry before the storm hits, clear out yard waste and debris, secure boats and place sandbags on top of plastic bags to create a stronger perimeter.
Hurricane Milton is moving east from the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico and on track to make landfall Wednesday on Florida’s west coast.
About 15 million people are under flood watches across the Florida Peninsula and 11 million are at risk for tropical tornadoes. Mandatory evacuations are underway along areas of the west coast.
President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration for the state Monday. In Sarasota County, officials warned residents not to let their guards down and ordered evacuations for the barrier islands and for people in mobile or manufactured homes.
“Execute your plan today and get out of there,” Sheriff Kurt Hoffman said. “We escaped Hurricane Helene without any deaths in this county. I think it’s fair to say this is a different storm.”
Hillsborough County issued a mandatory evacuation order for two zones, as well as all mobile and manufactured homes. Nine shelters will be opened in those areas, officials said.
The coastal city of Anna Maria, south of Tampa, is under a mandatory evacuation order. Pinellas County started evacuating long-term care facilities.
While most residents were hurriedly packing up their belongings and supplies, a few European visitors were enjoying the last moments of peace in Naples Beach.
Swiss tourist Jenny Bodmer was soaking in the quiet Monday before she evacuates to Miami, where she plans to ride out the storm in a large hotel with her family. She has never experienced anything like a hurricane before, and she said she will prepare by buying food and beverages and “praying” for their safety.
“It’s a little bit scary,” she said. “We don’t know what to do, so we watch the news and we decide to leave.”
Carsten Haake, a tourist from Germany, said he is staying 7 miles inland and feels prepared for the worst. His rental car has a full tank of gas, and he bought extra food for the days to come.
“If we go on holidays to the beaches in October, you are exposed to hurricane risk,” he said. “We take it serious, but we are not getting too excited about it.”
Jesse Kirsch reported from Sarasota; Dana Griffin from Naples Beach, Florida; Chase Cain from Orlando, Florida; and Alicia Victoria Lozano from Los Angeles.
CORRECTION (Oct. 8, 2024, 7:42 a.m. ET): An earlier version of this article misspelled the Sarasota County sheriff's name. He is Kurt Hoffman not Hoddman.
