Tampa Bay scrambles to prepare for next hurricane as it cleans up from last one

Here we go again.

Less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene brought record flooding, Tampa Bay is bracing for another life-threatening storm — and this one could be even worse.

Hundreds of thousands of Tampa Bay residents could be told to evacuate in advance of Hurricane Milton, which is expected to landfall somewhere near Florida’s central Gulf Coast on Wednesday evening. Milton could be a Category 4 or 5 storm that could be the worst Tampa Bay has seen in a lifetime.

Pinellas residents in evacuation zones A, B and C — more than half the county’s population — are likely to receive evacuation orders Monday, Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said. Long-term care facilities, assisted living facilities and hospitals in those zones, about 6,600 patients, were ordered to leave on Sunday.

Pasco County ordered mandatory evacuations for zones A and B starting Monday morning. Hillsborough County did not announce any orders by 5:30 p.m. Sunday.

Schools and colleges in all three counties canceled classes Monday through Wednesday.

The storm has Tampa Bay scrambling to prepare for the next hurricane threat as it struggles to pick up the pieces from the last one. On Sunday, residents saw long lines at sandbag sites and at hardware stores.

And many streets and curbsides are still filled with rotting wood, furniture and soaked stuffed animals. The amount of debris has triggered an “unprecedented” removal effort in the area, with dump sites open 24 hours and Florida National Guard members helping clear waste, Gov. Ron DeSantis said.

Officials in Tampa Bay are warning the storm could be far worse than Helene. Sewage systems and power could be out for weeks.

“I can’t say it any more plainly than this: Just get out,” Gualtieri said.

Milton rapidly formed into a Category 1 hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday afternoon, moving east at 7 mph and carrying 85 mph maximum sustained winds. While the exact track of the storm is still developing, it’s expected to make landfall somewhere along the state’s central Gulf Coast on Wednesday evening. It could carry hurricane-force winds all across the peninsula, DeSantis said.

“I don’t think there’s any scenario where we don’t have significant impacts at this point,” he said.

DeSantis on Sunday expanded the state of emergency to 51 counties, including Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Miami-Dade and Broward.

Pinellas County Emergency Management Director Cathie Perkins said the storm will bring heavy rain, and the National Weather Service told the county to prepare for 10 feet of storm surge — almost double what the region faced during Helene, she said. Helene caused 6 to 8 feet of surge.

Storm-weary residents still recovering from Helene are being asked to get prepared, or prepare to leave.

For Tampa Bay, Milton is less of a question of if — but where.

If the eye of the storm passes over the region, or just north of it, it’s expected to churn massive amounts of water into the bay, leading to record storm surge of 10 feet or more and causing billions of dollars in damage.

That would be the “worst-case scenario for Tampa Bay,” said Mike Clay, chief meteorologist at Bay News 9.

If the eye passes south, however, it’s likely the area will avoid serious storm surge. High winds and heavy rainfall are still expected.

On Sunday, the National Weather Service shifted the storm’s track slightly south of the region, but a more accurate picture will be impossible to know until Tuesday night, Clay said.

“This is a storm that our area has not seen, probably, in anyone’s lifetime,” National Weather Service meteorologist Christianne Pearce said.

Total debris cleanup could be impossible

Despite cleanup efforts, roads and curbsides across Pinellas County are still lined with debris that could become deadly wind- or flood-borne objects during Milton.

Only about 5% of the debris from Hurricane Helene had been cleared from Clearwater Beach, Clearwater Mayor Bruce Rector said Sunday. Clearing off the entire island before a midweek landfall will likely be impossible, he said.

“We’re in a desperate situation to move as much as we can as quickly as we can,” he said.

Pinellas County on Sunday opened an additional dump site for commercial haulers and certified more people to pick up debris. Hillsborough County also opened an additional free temporary dump site in Tampa. DeSantis said local communities have worked hard, but they have to “redouble their efforts” before the storm.

Despite his Saturday order requiring all landfills and debris management sites to stay open 24 hours, DeSantis said state officials cut the locks on one Pinellas County debris site early Sunday morning.

“There was a bunch of state assets that had a lot of debris to dump off, and it was locked, and there was no one there manning it, and so they basically opened it,” he said.

Under normal conditions, it might take two to three months to clear the amount of debris left by Helene, Pasco County Administrator Mike Carballa said. He said the debris will make police and firefighters’ ability to respond to emergencies during the storm “near zero.”

Any remaining debris at curbs should be bundled, covered or secured in a garage or a shed if possible, a county spokesperson said.

Millions could be told to evacuate

State officials are preparing for the largest evacuations the state has seen since 2017′s Hurricane Irma.

“If you’re on that west coast of Florida and barrier islands, just assume that you likely are going to be called upon to evacuate,” DeSantis said.

Residents told to evacuate should know their evacuation zone, prepare a disaster supply kit and find a safe place to stay, such as a county shelter, a friend or family’s house or a hotel where you already have a reservation. Officials expect traffic to get steadily worse, so leaving as soon as possible is encouraged.

Evacuation routes will be stocked with emergency fuel, road rangers and emergency electric vehicle charging stations, Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie said. The state has also been scouting all possible places that could house people along those routes, which Guthrie called “refuges of last resort.”

“We have been identifying those locations along evacuation routes now for more than five days in anticipation of something major happening,” Guthrie said.

Times staff writers Max Chesnes, Kirby Wilson and Jack Prator contributed to this report.

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