Hurricane Milton, currently a Category 4 storm, is barreling towards Florida with intense force.
As of Tuesday morning, hurricane warnings were issued for the Florida west coast from Bonita Beach northward to the mouth of the Suwannee River. There were also inland hurricane warnings that included much of Central Florida, including Orlando.
Some areas along the Gulf coast expected to get a direct hit from the storm are ordered to evacuate.
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Jane Castor, The mayor of Tampa, Florida, is urging residents in evacuation zones to take matters seriously.
"Helene was a wake-up call. This is literally catastrophic. I can say without any dramatization whatsoever if you choose to stay in one of those evacuation areas, you’re gonna die," said Castor.
Below are resources and information on evacuation zones in Florida as Hurricane Milton approaches.
Shelters open up across the area ahead of Hurricane Milton
County Evacuation Order Sites:
Evacuations by county:
Hillsborough County
- Officials issued a mandatory evacuation order for Evacuation Zones A and B and for all mobile homes and manufactured housing throughout the county starting at 2:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 7.
Manatee County
- Manatee County Emergency Managers have called for the evacuation of all persons in Levels A, B, and C—and all residents or visitors in RVs or mobile homes—ahead of Hurricane Milton.
Pasco County
- Mandatory evacuations for Zones A, B, and C are now in effect
- A Mandatory evacuation is also in effect for anyone in a manufactured home, mobile home, RV, or anyone living in low-lying areas.
Pinellas County
- Pinellas County issued mandatory evacuation orders for all residents in Zones A, B, and C and all residents living in mobile homes, effective immediately.
Sarasota County
- Officials are calling for evacuations of Levels A and B, as well as manufactured communities or mobile or boat homes. They added that Level C should be prepared to evacuate if the storm intensifies.
Hernando County
- Mandatory evacuations have been issued for all areas west of US 19, including Evacuation Zones A, B, and C, starting Tuesday at 8 a.m. All residents living in coastal and low-lying areas, as well as manufactured homes countywide, are included.
Mandatory vs. Voluntary Evacuations
Information from Pinellas County Emergency Management
Voluntary: In the event of the approach of a tropical storm or a hurricane crossing the state the potential for storm surge may not be as great. In these cases, emergency managers may recommend that residents in mobile homes and historically flood-prone areas that frequently flood consider evacuating to higher ground and/or sturdier structures than they have available at home. This is done for the safety of those in areas known to be vulnerable.
Mandatory: Mandatory evacuations are issued when the probability of storm surge is high, and loss of life could occur if residents don’t leave. These evacuations will be ordered up to a certain letter zone and will always include mobile homes. It is incredibly important that if your home is in an evacuation level, you know your level, plan for a ‘stay’ and ‘go’ option, and, if your level is ordered to go, move quickly but safely outside of the evacuation area.
It is illegal to stay in a home under a mandatory evacuation order. Under Florida Statute 252.38, the local authority has the ability to take necessary steps to provide for the health and safety of people and property. Chapter 252.50 sets refusal to follow an evacuation order as a second-degree misdemeanor.
Does this mean the police will drag you out of your property? No. They will be too busy helping those who will be following the evacuation order, although they will likely ask for next of kin or an emergency contact. However, this does provide law enforcement the basis to remove anyone who is impeding the flow of an evacuation.
HURRICANE RESOURCES
This story was originally published by Scripps News Tampa.
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