During the last few days, Florida has been preparing for a powerful hurricane which is expected to bring widespread destruction across the state. Endless queues were seen at gas stations, and food and hardware stores' shelves are emptying.
The storm, named 'Milton', is expected to reach Florida's shores in the next 24 hours and is predicted to be the fastest and most powerful seen in the state in the last century.
Florida's west coast, a state located in the southeastern United States, is likely to bear the brunt of the storm, which is currently advancing from the Gulf of Mexico towards the US at a surprising and concerning speed and intensity.
The previous Atlantic hurricane with similar characteristics in the US was Hurricane Allen, which hit the Caribbean islands, Texas, and Mexico in the 1980s.
The eye of the storm is expected to hit Tampa Bay tomorrow or during the night (US time) and then move across Florida. Residents who are just recovering from the deadly storm 'Helene' that claimed the lives of 230 people, now fear Hurricane Milton, which is expected to be much more destructive.
So far, more than a million people have received evacuation orders, but a large portion of coastal city residents in the state refuse to leave their homes.
The mayor of Tampa warned the city's residents: "If you want to confront Mother Nature, know that she wins 100% of the time."
Images and videos uploaded to social media showed residents fortifying their homes as well as they could, either with sandbags or sealing houses with wooden boards, though it's unclear how effective these will be against the powerful storm.
During the last storm, Helene, there were accounts of entire houses swept away in floods with their inhabitants, who all died tragically.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said yesterday (Monday),"You have time to execute your plans [evacuate], but you must do it now. Because time will start running out very, very soon."
According to CNN, he also said that "Florida will open four mass shelters, including one that could shelter some 10,000 people, if necessary."
According to Ynet, most Florida ports including Tampa and Sarasota were closed today (Tuesday). The U.S. Coast Guard showed terminals in South Carolina including Charleston imposing navigation restrictions. In addition, Tampa International Airport said it would close starting 9 a.m. Eastern today (Tuesday) as reported by CNN.
Milton is moving east-northeast with maximum sustained winds of 145 miles per hour (230 kmh) according to the National Hurricane Center.