From Tampa in Florida, long queues of cars are winding up right now. Residents are trying to get away from the area that Hurricane Milton is expected to reach tomorrow, Wednesday.
Milton, moving east through the Gulf of Mexico, has rapidly grown to maximum strength on the five-point scale and is reported to be the worst storm to hit the area in over 100 years.
– I know that many who live there have survived similar hurricanes in the past. This one is going to be very serious. I ask you to take the essentials with you and listen to what the authorities say. They know what they are talking about and they know how Milton is going to develop, said Vice President Kamala Harris.
Emergency declaration
Florida, which was already hit hard most recently by Hurricane Helene, which was a category-four, is now preparing for the worst.
President Joe Biden has already approved an emergency declaration authorizing federal aid to supplement local efforts already underway in anticipation of Milton’s emergence.
Gasoline is running out
TV4 News’ foreign report Tomas Kvarnkullen is on site in Florida.
– There are very sharp warnings and sharp calls to people to leave their homes and not to take any risks, and it also seems that many are doing that too. There are now reports that there is a shortage of petrol in some parts of Florida, says Kvarnkullen.
– What makes this extra difficult is of course that there is another big storm coming, shortly after the second one. It will put enormous pressure both on rescue personnel but also on the disaster relief that is deployed afterwards, he continues.