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Fearful Florida residents streamed out of the Tampa Bay region Tuesday ahead of what could be a once-in-a-century direct hit from Hurricane Milton, as crews worked furiously to prevent furniture, appliances and other waterlogged wreckage from the last big storm from becoming deadly projectiles in this one.Watch live coverage from Orlando sister station WESH in the video player above.The preparations marked the last chance for millions of people in the Tampa metro area to prepare for lethal storm surges, ferocious winds and possible tornadoes in a place that has narrowly avoided a head-on blow from a major storm for generations.Todays the last day to get ready, said Craig Fugate, a former FEMA director who previously ran the states emergency operation division. This is bringing everything.Gov. Ron DeSantis said the state deployed over 300 dump trucks that had removed 1,300 loads of debris left behind by Hurricane Helene by Tuesday afternoon. In Clearwater Beach, Nick Szabo spent a second long day hauling away 3-foot piles of soggy mattresses, couches and drywall after being hired by a local resident who was eager to help clear the roads and unwilling to wait for overwhelmed city contractors.All this crap is going to be missiles, he said. Its like a spear coming at you.After weakening slightly, Milton regained strength Tuesday afternoon and became a Category 5 storm again, with winds of 165 mph. It could make landfall Wednesday night in the Tampa Bay area, which has a population of more than 3.3 million people. The 11 Florida counties under mandatory evacuation orders are home to about 5.9 million people, according to population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.Those who defy the orders are on their own, and first responders are not expected to risk their lives to rescue them at the height of the storm.You do not have to get on the interstate and go far away, DeSantis told a news conference, assuring residents there would be enough gasoline to fuel their cars for the trip. You can evacuate tens of miles. You do not have to evacuate hundreds of miles away.Milton is forecast to cross central Florida and to dump as much as 18 inches of rain while heading toward the Atlantic Ocean, according to the National Hurricane Center. That path would largely spare other states ravaged by Helene, which killed at least 230 people on its path from Florida to the Carolinas.The arrival of back-to-back hurricanes that rapidly intensified into mighty storms comes as climate change exacerbates conditions that are allowing them to thrive in warming waters. Milton is the 13th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which started June 1.Tampa Bay has not been hit directly by a major hurricane since 1921, and authorities fear its luck is about to run out. Tampa Mayor Jane Castor issued increasingly dire warnings, noting that a 15-foot surge could swallow an entire house.So if you’re in it, basically that’s the coffin that you’re in, she said.Theres no good recent example of how bad it could be because even historic hurricanes such as Andrew, Harvey and Katrina did not actually directly hit a major metropolitan area. They were all to the side, said University of Miami hurricane researcher Brian McNoldy.Its hard to see places coming out of this very well. If its not the worst case … even the next worst case is very bad, McNoldy said.Most of Florida’s west coast was under a hurricane or tropical storm warning as the system spun just off Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula, creeping toward shore and sucking energy from the Gulf of Mexico’s warm waters. Hurricane warnings were extended early Tuesday to parts of the state’s east coast.In Riverview, south of Tampa, several drivers waiting in a long line for fuel Tuesday morning said they had no plans to evacuate.I think well just hang, you know tough it out, said Martin Oakes, of nearby Apollo Beach. We got shutters up. The house is all ready. So this is sort of the last piece of the puzzle.Ralph Douglas, who lives in neighboring Ruskin, said he, too, will stay put, in part because he worries about running out of gas trying to return after the storm or getting blocked by debris.Where Im at right now, I dont think I need to evacuate, he said.At the Tampa airport, John Fedor and his wife were trying to catch a cab to a storm shelter after missing multiple flights home to Philadelphia. They had hoped taking a Caribbean cruise would bring them closer, but tensions were rising after they spent nearly $1,000 on unplanned transportation and hotel rooms due to travel delays. After a two-mile walk to the airport, Fedors suitcase cracked open and the wheels broke. They considered driving home or taking a train, but nothing worked out.Were kind of like stranded here,” Fedor said.President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration for Florida, and the White House announced Tuesday that he would postpone a trip to Germany and Angola to monitor the storm.This could be the worst storm to hit Florida in over a century, Biden told reporters. God willing it wont be. But thats what its looking like right now.The Federal Emergency Management Agency has almost 900 staff members in the region and has stocked two staging areas with 20 million meals and 40 million liters of water, the White House said.Stragglers were a problem during Helene and Ian in 2022. Many residents said they evacuated during previous storms only to have major surges not materialize. But there was evidence Tuesday that people were heeding the warnings to get out before Milton arrives.The Florida Highway Patrol reported heavy traffic northbound and eastbound on all roadways and said state troopers were escorting fuel tankers to assist with gasoline delivery.About 150 miles south of Tampa, Fort Myers Beach was nearly a ghost town. Ian devastated the community two years ago with its 15-foot storm surge. Fourteen people died there. On Tuesday, the nearby Callosahatchee River was already choppy, slapping hard against the sea wall.David Jalving and his family spent the morning putting away planters and outdoor furniture at his parents home, which sustained extensive damage from Ian. They moved back in only six months ago.It is getting old, and every year it seems that it is getting worse, said Jalving, who hopes to convince his parents to move. Hes also considering leaving Florida himself.I cant deal with another one, he said.In southwest Florida, the streets in the seaside town of Punta Gorda were still filled with furniture, books, toys and even a few hot tubs destroyed by Helene. Scott Joiner, who described bull sharks swimming in the flooded streets during that storm, said the city has been trying to pick up the trash but didn’t have enough time before Milton.Water is a blessing to have, but it is very deadly, he said.___Spencer reported from Fort Myers Beach. Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers Holly Ramer in New Hampshire, Curt Anderson and Kate Payne in Tampa, Freida Frisaro in Fort Lauderdale, Seth Borenstein in Washington and Mark Stevenson in Mexico City.

Hurricane Milton churned through the Gulf of Mexico toward Florida on Tuesday as an extremely dangerous storm that could wallop one of the state’s major population centers just two weeks after deadly Hurricane Helene swamped the coastline.Watch live coverage from Orlando sister station WESH in the video player above.The system is threatening the Tampa Bay area, which is home to more than 3.3 million people and has managed to evade a direct hit from a major hurricane for more than 100 years. Milton is also menacing other stretches of Florida’s west coast that were battered when Helene came ashore on Sept. 26.Traffic was thick Tuesday heading north out of Tampa on Interstate 75 as people fled the area ahead of Milton. As they evacuated, crews along the coast hurried to clear Helene’s debris so that Milton doesn’t turn it into dangerous projectiles.Milton strengthened to a Category 5 storm on Monday before weakening Tuesday to a Category 4. National Hurricane Center forecasters warned that the storm will likely remain a major hurricane and could even expand as it approaches Florida. By Tuesday afternoon, it was picking up strength again. When will Milton make landfall and how strong will it be?Milton is expected to make landfall on Florida’s central Gulf coast late Wednesday. Forecasters said Tuesday that although it will likely fluctuate in intensity, Milton will remain an extremely dangerous hurricane ” through landfall.We must be prepared for a major, major impact to the west coast of Florida, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday.As of Tuesday afternoon, Milton’s sustained winds had increased to 155 mph, with higher gusts, and the storm about 520 miles southwest of Tampa.President Joe Biden postponed an overseas trip so he could remain at the White House to monitor Milton, he warned could be one of the worst storms in 100 years to hit Florida.”With the storm expected to remain fairly strong as it crosses Florida, hurricane warnings were extended early Tuesday to parts of the states east coast.Why are scientists saying this is a weird storm season?Hurricane Milton is the latest system to come out of what scientists say is the weirdest storm season theyve ever seen.Even before the Atlantic hurricane season started, forecasters were predicting a busy year, and it began that way when Beryl was the earliest storm to reach Category 5 on record. But from Aug. 20 the traditional start of peak hurricane season to Sept. 23 it was record quiet, said Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach.Then five hurricanes popped up between Sept. 26 and Oct. 6, more than double the old record of two. On Sunday and Monday, there were three hurricanes in October at the same time something that never happened before Klotzbach said. In just 46.5 hours, Hurricane Milton went from just forming as a tropical storm with 40 mph winds to a top-of-the-charts Category 5 hurricane.With hurricanes disrupting the lives of millions in the U.S., some may wonder if it’s possible to control extreme weather events. But scientists say hurricanes are far too powerful for that, and climate change is providing more fuel than ever for storms like Helene and Milton.How bad is damage expected to be?Florida’s entire Gulf Coast is especially vulnerable to storm surge.Helene came ashore about 150 miles north of Tampa in the Florida Panhandle and still managed to cause drowning deaths in the Tampa area due to surges of around 5 to 8 feet above normal tide levels.Forecasters warned of a possible 10- to 15-foot storm surge in Tampa Bay. It is the highest surge ever predicted for that location and has led to evacuation orders for communities all along the coast.The county thats home to Tampa ordered areas adjacent to the bay and all mobile and manufactured homes to be evacuated by Tuesday night. With a predicted storm surge that could swallow a house, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor issued increasingly dire warnings Tuesday, including telling those who ride out the storm in single-story homes: So if youre in it, basically thats the coffin that youre in.”Milton is forecast to cross central Florida and dump as much as 18 inches of rain while heading toward the Atlantic Ocean, according to the hurricane center.What if I have travel plans to Florida?Tampa International Airport said it halted flights Tuesday morning, posting on X that it is not a shelter for people or their cars. And nearby St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport said it is in a mandatory evacuation zone and would close after the last flight leaves Tuesday.In the Orlando area, about 84 miles inland from Tampa, major theme parks Walt Disney World and Universal remained open Tuesday ahead of Milton even as other parts of Orlandos tourism machine shut down. Orlando International Airport the nations seventh busiest and Floridas most trafficked said it would cease operations Wednesday morning.Disney said it was operating under normal conditions and planned, for now, only to close its campgrounds and rental cabins in wooded areas. Both theme parks said they would continue monitoring the weather and adjust accordingly.What’s happening in Mexico?Mexican officials were organizing buses to evacuate people from the low-lying coastal city of Progreso on the Yucatan Peninsula after Mexicos National Meteorological Service said Hurricane Milton may hit between Celestun and Progreso.Celestun, on the western corner of the peninsula, is a low-lying nature reserve home to tens of thousands of flamingos. Progreso, to the east, is a shipping and cruise ship port with a population of about 40,000.Dozens of residents and tourists lined up with suitcases and other belongings on Monday to catch an evacuation ferry off Holbox Island, near the eastern tip of the Yucatan Peninsula.Holbox, which is popular for its seascapes and tends to flood even in light rain, may be one of the closest Mexican points that Milton brushes before moving northeastward toward Florida.