Hurricane Milton could ‘change coastline forever’
Experts believe Hurricane Milton will hit Florida with so much force it will wipe out 95 per cent of the beaches and change the coastline forever.
Hurricane Milton is closing in on the storm-battered state of Florida as US officials plead with residents to flee or risk dying.
President Joe Biden warned that the “catastrophic” hurricane could be the worst natural disaster to hit the state in a century.
“It’s a matter of life and death, and that’s not hyperbole,” Biden said from the White House on Tuesday, urging those under orders to leave to “evacuate now, now, now.”
The storm is forecast to make landfall on Florida’s west coast late Wednesday night US time (Thursday morning AEST).
Tampa Bay is directly in the firing line, with fears a wall of water - known as a storm surge - could reach 15 feet and devastate the coastal city with three million residents.
Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said the surge would swallow houses entirely, bluntly warning: “So if you’re in it, basically that’s the coffin that you’re in.”
By Wednesday morning Milton was located 485 kilometres southwest of Tampa, generating maximum sustained winds of 260 kph.
Milton weakened slightly over the Gulf of Mexico overnight and was downgraded to a category four, but is expected to remain “extremely dangerous” when it makes landfall.
Airlines put on extra flights out of Tampa, Orlando, Fort Myers and Sarasota, as highways clogged up with escaping traffic and one in four gas stations in the region sold out of fuel.
Hurricane could change US coastline ‘forever’
Hurricane Milton is expected to be so ferocious, it will cover nearly every beach on Florida’s west coast — and forever change the Sunshine State’s coastline, experts have warned.
At least 95 per cent of Florida’s west coast beaches are forecast to be inundated — or continuously covered by ocean water — when the hurricane hits.
“This is the most severe level of coastal change,” tthe US Geological Survey warned - while saying that “Milton’s waves and surge” could cause “erosion and overwash” to 100 per cent of the state’s beaches.
“The significance of the coastal change forecast for Milton’s impact to the Florida west coast cannot be overstated,” USGS scientist Kara Doran said.
The damage is even worse because “communities are more vulnerable to this storm’s impacts due to the erosion that occurred recently from Helene,” Doran stressed.
Imagery from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration after Helene showed Florida’s west coast already experienced “overwash or inundation and complete erosion of those dunes,” meaning protective banks of sand usually along the shoreline no longer exist in many locations, the expert noted.
USGS experts forecast a “severe” level of coastal change that will likely cause flooding behind sand dunes, and endanger coastal communities.
Heart-stopping moment storm chasers fly into eye of hurricane
Brave storm chasers have filmed the heart-stopping moment they were battered by extreme turbulence while flying into the eye of the hurricane to collect crucial data.
Scary footage shows scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) being thrown around the flight.
The aircraft named “Miss Piggy” was collecting data on the hurricane on Tuesday morning when the footage was captured.
The fearless scientists bump around the cabin and documents are thrown around as the men are forced to hang on.
The jolts are so strong that floorboards come up and important sensors break.
Nick Underwood, who filmed the footage, took to X after the clip went viral online.
“Pardon my Appalachian hoots and hollers but this is right up there with the Ian flight from two years ago. Floor panels came up. Dropsondes (weather recon device) broke. A mess in the cabin," he wrote.
“All that turbulence and we still get the dropsonde out to collect data.
“This is the job. Important work.”
Chilling advice for those who refuse to leave
Florida Attorney-General Ashley Moody has issued a chilling piece of advice for those refusing to evacuate as Milton closes in.
“You probably need to write your name in permanent marker on your arm so that people know who you are when they get to you afterwards,” Moody said via NPR.
With winds reaching a ferocious 230 km/h, Milton has prompted the evacuation of three million residents along Florida’s west coast.
Although the storm weakened to a category four, forecasters warned it still poses a severe threat, particularly to the heavily populated Tampa Bay area.
Governor Ron DeSantis assured residents they have options that don’t require fleeing far.
“You can evacuate tens of miles; you do not have to evacuate hundreds of miles away,” he said, promising that fuel supplies would hold up for those needing to escape.
Major attractions like Walt Disney World and Universal Studios remained open on Tuesday, though Disney said it planned to close campgrounds and rental cabins in more vulnerable wooded areas as a precaution.
Image shows brutality heading for US
Florida residents have been shown the devastating effects of a 15-foot storm surge forecasted to hit as Milton crosses the coast.
The Weather Channel’s Stephanie Abrams detailed exactly what the streets will look like once they are flooded, first beginning at three feet high, where it is “already too late to evacuate”.
At this level, rushing flood water is able to “knock you off your feet” and cause serious injury.
At nine feet, most first floor structures will be inundated with most beyond repair.
“Please do not think you can walk in it, this will carry you away,” she said.
The US National Hurricane Center has warned it is now a life or death situation for thousands in the expected danger zone, with officials warning it is now time to evacuate.
“A large area of destructive storm surge from Milton is expected along portions of the west coast of Florida,” the NHC wrote at 10pm local time.
“If you are in the Storm Surge Warning area, this is an extremely life-threatening situation and you should evacuate if ordered to do so by local officials.”
Fears with major hospital in danger zone
Tampa hospital has installed a temporary flood wall that officials hope will be enough to repel Hurricane Milton. The AquaFence was used during Hurricane Helene last month, but this storm is expected to be much more ferocious.
People in the US have pointed out a painfully obvious flaw in the city as emergency services scramble to safeguard the hospital.
The area’s only trauma centre is built on an island at sea level, meaning those suffering severe injuries could soon be cut off from the city’s biggest medical unit if flood waters surge.
At a news conference held today, Governor DeSantis warned locals planning to evacuate to do so immediately.
“If you’re going to get out, get out now,” he said.
The facility has also been stocked with important supplies at all of their locations.
“We have a proactive and comprehensive plan in place to protect our locations against severe weather so we can continue to provide the exceptional care for which our patients turn to Tampa General,” Assistant Director of Public Safety Erinn Skiba said.
The hospital’s 16,000-square-foot on-site energy source that will provide backup power to the building if there’s a disruption, suthorities stated.
“It is built to withstand the impact and flooding of a Category 5 hurricane,” officials said. “The plant houses generators and boilers that can create steam and hot water.”
A large well is also available to the centre with water.
Waffle House Index
The mass closures of the iconic American chain restaurant Waffle House along the Florida coast are striking fear into residents.
The famous Waffle House Index has historically been used to highlight the severity of an extreme weather event, especially in Southern US states.
The famous diner is known for being open 24/7, 365 days a year, with no exceptions and has a good reputation for always staying open even in wild weather.
Therefore, when they are shut, it can only mean one thing: disaster.
“If you get there and the Waffle House is closed? That’s really bad,” said Craig Fugate, Former Head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
There are three colours on the Waffle House Index’s scale, with Green meaning that a full menu is being served, the restaurant has full power, and the damage is minimal or absent.
Yellow means a limited menu is available, with power to the establishment either absent or provided by a generator. Food supplies are also running low.
Red is the most severe and means the Waffle House branch is shut down. It indicates severe damage, flooding and destruction to the restaurant.
In a map published this morning, a sea of red can be seen, indicating just how bad things are right now in Florida.
“Please stay safe,” the restaurant chain wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
The Waffle House Index was used most notably in 2022 in the face of Hurricane Ian, when 35 of the restaurants shut up shop.
It was also used last month during Hurricane Helene.
In preparation for the current Hurricane Milton, Waffle House announced that 25 chains in the Tampa Bay area and eight in the Fort Myers area would close on October 8th before the storm’s arrival.
“Waffle Houses are up and down the interstate systems in Florida, it’s a pretty good gauge,” Fugate told NBC back in 2022.
“Once you get into areas where the Waffle Houses are closed or have limited menus, you’re starting to get into the areas with the impacts.”
One-legged sailor refuses to leave boat
In Tampa Bay, a stubborn one-legged Florida man nicknamed “Lieutenant Dan” is refusing to leave his boat or wear a lifejacket despite police urging him to seek shelter.
The man, who also goes by Joe Sea, claimed “God told him” to “come out here and get a boat”.
“I’m doing what he told me to do. He didn’t send nobody to get me out of here,” he added while standing in his run-down, 20-foot sailboat.
“And anybody that tries to get me out of here, they’re not of God because God told me that this was right for me and that’s why I’m doing it.
“He’s got my back. I’m in good shape. I’m not sweating it.”
Joe said he could “swim in circles” if he found himself in trouble.
“The water’s going to come in, it’s going to rise. If you’re on land, it’s going to flood. You’re risking drowning. I’m in a boat, so the boat goes up with the water... it’s really the safest place to be, on my boat,” he said.
“The more you go through it, the more you learn,” he told The Weather Channel.
“I’m confident in my ability to ride it out unless it turns into a situation, and I wind up in Kansas.”
Another clip appears to show the battler sailor being asked to leave his boat by police, with an officer telling him there are “nine shelters that are open.”
Florida braces for brutal domino effect
The US has been warned of a devastating domino effect that may occur once Hurricane Milton finally hits the shore.
Town hit with 86mm of rain in an hour
Hailstones of up to 7cm were recorded as severe thunderstorms hit the state, with warnings of more fierce weather to come.
State braces for severe thunderstorms
Residents of one state have been warned of damaging winds, large hailstones and heavy rain amid a severe weather warning.