Just 10 days after Hurricane Helene destroyed parts of Taylor County, the northbound lane of Highway 19 through Perry was clogged by millions of residents fleeing Central Florida’s Gulf Coast in a mass evacuation ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Milton — which “has the potential to be one of the most destructive hurricanes on record for west-central Florida” according to the National Hurricane Center. Terms such as “historic,” “catastrophic” and “unprecedented” have been used for Milton, which strengthened to a massive Category 5 storm with 180 mph winds on Monday before weakening to a Category 4 with 150 mph winds Tuesday. The storm was projected to hits as a Cat 3 Wednesday evening south of the Tampa-St. Pete area.
Fresh off the devastation left behind by Hurricane Helene, local emergency officials are keeping a wary (and weary) eye on Hurricane Milton, which is projected to hit the west coast of Florida near Tampa late Wednesday or the early-morning hours of Thursday.
Subscribe to our e-Edition and read the rest of the story. Already a subscriber? Click here to sign in.
Recent Comments