Local authorities said Wednesday that Floridians only have a few hours left to evacuate the storm surge area as Milton, which is currently a Category 4 hurricane, is projected to make landfall on the western coast of the state late Wednesday night or early Thursday morning.
Gas stations around the state have already run out of fuel as people attempt to either leave the state or have fuel on stock for at-home generators. About 1,200 of the state’s 7,900 gas stations, or nearly 16%, are currently without fuel, according to data from GasBuddy.
Floridians are still recovering from Hurricane Helene, which devastated the state in late September, and now are scrambling to prepare or escape the projected storm areas.
Hurricane Milton is expected to bring life-threatening storm surges, as well as isolated tornadoes and dangerous flooding. Rain has already hit the Tampa metropolitan area and winds are likely to increase Wednesday afternoon.
Tampa, Florida
Orlando, Florida
The Villages, Florida
Oakland Park, Florida
St. Petersburg, Florida
Fort Myers, Florida
Bradenton, Florida
CNBC’s Danielle DeVries contributed to this report.
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