Earth_s strongest storm of 2024_ Hurricane Milton_ is barreling toward Florida. Here_s the latest(360P)
Earth_s strongest storm of 2024_ Hurricane Milton_ is barreling toward Florida. Here_s the latest(360P)
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00:00Breaking news, a brand new forecast just in moments ago for Hurricane Milton,
00:04which is heading right towards Florida as an extremely dangerous Category
00:07five hurricane. Today, Milton became the strongest storm anywhere on the
00:11planet this year. Meteorologist Chad Myers is in CNN's Hurricane
00:15headquarters. Chad, where is Milton set to make landfall? And what is your
00:20best assessment as to when?
00:23You know, the models are really in very good agreement, and it's very, very
00:26close to what we would call the clear water area anywhere from just north.
00:31Let's call it. I don't want to call Dunedin, but Pinellas County may be as
00:35far south as Anna Maria Island. But here's what happened at this hour. The
00:39five o'clock advisory is now in up to 180 MPH. Now there is a hurricane
00:47hunter aircraft on the way to make sure, but it was 1 75 when they last
00:53left, and the storm hasn't lost any intensity. And in fact, it's forecast
00:57Jake to get to 1 85 after midnight tonight and then make landfall either
01:03as a category four or category three. Very close to Tampa. When Helene hit
01:08the area, I know it went north of there, but the surge in Tampa Bay was 6 to 7
01:12ft. The forecast surge in Tampa itself is now 10 to 15 ft. So I talked to a
01:20guy today said, Hey, man, I had six ft of water in my house, and I went,
01:23that's not good because six is now going to be 10 or 15. So that house may
01:28not be there anymore. Dude, this is really, really deadly storm that people
01:35are going to need to get away. If your local county emergency manager says you
01:39need to evacuate now is the time. Unlike the storm that kind of Ian that
01:44kind of turned into Fort Myers. We have time this time. You have time to
01:50find someplace to shelter, and it is going to be one obviously for the
01:55record books, but we've never had a stronger storm. Obviously, in the Gulf
01:58of Mexico in the past couple of decades, the last storm that make landfall close
02:02to Tampa was 102 years ago. The last major hurricane didn't have a name, but
02:08that was 1921. This is a devastating event. People need to take precautions.
02:14You need to tell your relatives. Hey, Uncle Joe, you need to get out of there.
02:18They told you to leave. It's time. You have to go somewhere. You don't have to
02:22go to North Carolina. You have to go somewhere away from that surge away
02:27from that water. Jake. All right, Chad Myers. Thank you. So the race to get
02:31ready comes as many areas in the storm's path are still reeling from
02:36Hurricane Helene. CNN's Brian Todd is on the story
02:40in Pinellas Park, Florida, just across the bay from Tampa. Residents use large
02:47pails to fill as many sandbags as they can. Hurricane Milton, which has
02:52already exploded into a category five storm, could hit the Tampa Bay area
02:57directly. It would be the first major hurricane to strike within 50 miles of
03:01Tampa in more than 100 years.
03:04Some residents in at least six counties told to evacuate in Hillsborough County.
03:09The evacuation order is mandatory in some places. That means authorities
03:13cannot force people from their homes. But if you remain there, you could die.
03:19My men and women could die trying to rescue you. What makes this especially
03:23dangerous in places like Tampa and Fort Myers is that those cities are still
03:27recovering from Hurricane Helene, which has killed more than 230 people in six
03:32states, with the death toll still rising for those in the mandatory
03:35evacuation zones who decide to stay put. Florida officials have a dire
03:40warning. You probably need to write your name and permanent marker on your arm
03:45so that people know who you are when they get to you afterwards. And we're
03:48still seeing as we're uncovering folks on the beach who thought they could
03:52stay there. And the storm storm surge got them with Milton forecast to make
03:57landfall late Wednesday. Governor Ron DeSantis warns the window for
04:01evacuation is closing fast. You have time to execute your plan, but you got
04:05to do it now. Time is going to start running out very, very soon.
04:10Helene made landfall as a Category four hurricane that caused widespread
04:14damage, leaving tons of debris that still hasn't been cleared debris that
04:19residents worry could still harm people if it starts flying around when Milton
04:23hits the debris on the beach and whatever's going on is a little cause
04:26for concern because there is not enough time and not enough manpower to take
04:29everything and put it where it needs to be off the island. The international
04:34airports in Tampa and Orlando closing ahead of the storm tolls are being
04:38suspended on major highways throughout western and central florida to help
04:42those evacuating. Governor DeSantis says the assets that florida lent to
04:47North Carolina for Hurricane Helene have had to be brought back to florida.
04:51But North Carolina is still dealing with the horrific aftermath of Helene.
04:55More than 100,000 customers are still without power there. And around
04:59Asheville, dozens of people are still missing a week and a half after Helene
05:03tore through the area. We're still working to reach communities. We still
05:07have search and rescue occurring as we speak.
05:12And we have this information and video just into CNN. Hurricane hunters has
05:16posted their latest video on X. This is video from the plane, the hurricane
05:21hunter flying through the eye of Hurricane Milton as it approaches the
05:25west coast of florida. You can see the clouds swirling there. Um, this is of
05:29course, this hurricane hunter planes gather critical information. They're
05:32going to be gathering critical information in the next 48 hours before
05:36the storm makes landfall on the west coast of florida. This is information
05:40that is going to be very critical in informing us as to when and where this
05:43is going to hit wolf. This video we're seeing for the first time and the
05:46hurricane center says those pilots even spotted birds within the eye of the
05:50hurricane. Vice President Harris is speaking now about Hurricane Milton and
05:53she's a parts for new york. Let's listen in. I know a lot of folks out
05:56there have survived these hurricanes before. This one is going to be very,
06:02very serious. And I urge you to please just grab whatever you need. Listen to
06:07the orders you're getting from your local officials. They know what they're
06:10telling you and they know what Milton is about to be. So please do that. The
06:16other point I'd make is that there's a lot of missing disinformation being
06:20pushed out there by the former president about what is available in
06:25particular to the survivors of the lean. And first of all, it's
06:29extraordinarily irresponsible. It's about him. It's not about you. And the
06:34reality is that fema has so many resources that are available to folks
06:40who desperately need them now and resources that are about helping people
06:45get back on their feet and rebuild and have places to go. You are entitled to
06:51these resources. People are entitled to these resources and it is critically
06:55important that people apply for the help that is there to support that all
07:01of those resources were created for just these kinds of moments in an
07:05emergency situation, knowing that folks are entitled to have the belief that
07:11they so rightly need at this moment in time. So listen to your sheriff around
07:18the places that have been impacted by lean. Listen to your local sheriff is
07:22gonna tell you straight about what's available to you and how for so many
07:27reasons and ways there are no convictions attached to the relief
07:30that's available to you. Governor DeSantis NBC is reporting Governor
07:34DeSantis is ignoring your calls on hurricanes, resources and help. How does
07:41that hurt the situation here?
07:45You know, moments of crisis, if nothing else, should really be the moment that
07:51anyone who calls himself a leader says they're gonna put politics aside and
07:56put the people first. People are in desperate need of support right now and
08:00playing political games at this moment in these crisis situations. These are
08:05the height of emergency situations. It's just utterly irresponsible and it is
08:09selfish and it is about political gamesmanship instead of doing the job
08:14that you took an oath to do, which is to put the people first. Milton's
08:18arrival. What does it mean for resources?
08:23All right, Vice President Harris speaking on the tarmac, a joint base
08:25Andrews in Maryland with our breaking news about Hurricane Milton, the
08:29strongest storm on the planet this year. It appears to be right now headed
08:34towards Florida's heavily populated West Coast. Milton is threatening to be
08:38the storm that meteorologists have been fearing for decades. I want to bring in
08:42the end, Chris, while she's the administrator of FEMA, the Federal
08:46Emergency Management Agency, which has been working around the clock to try to
08:49help victims of the last hurricane, uh, Helene. Um, the end. Thanks for joining
08:54us, Administrator Chris. Well, so first Hurricane Helene now Milton, how is FEMA
08:58preparing for another potentially catastrophic storm? And do you have
09:01enough funds?
09:04Yeah, Hurricane Milton is certainly going to be a historic event here in
09:09Florida. Uh, as we continue the initial response and recovery from Hurricane
09:15Helene, we do have staff on the ground that are prepared to pivot and help
09:19support this response. But we're moving more resources in. We're moving
09:23additional search and rescue resources in. We're moving health assessment
09:27teams in. We're moving the Army Corps of Engineers in. We're also moving
09:31management teams. And I'm here in Tampa right now, and I have a team embedded
09:35with the mayor's team so we can have that open line of communication to
09:39quickly employ people as soon as they're needed. What do Floridians
09:45in the storms path on the western coast of Florida need to know right now?
09:51They need to get out. They absolutely need to listen to their local officials
09:55and evacuate. I was just with the police chief, the fire chief and the
09:59mayor. They need to be leaving now. If they're in one of the evacuation zones
10:04that they've designated, people should not focus just on the cone. They need
10:08to focus on the storm surge that is going to cover a wider area, and they
10:13need to get to safety. And this doesn't mean you have to go far. You just need
10:17to get to higher ground outside of that that surge threat until the storm
10:22passes. There were a lot of remote areas extremely hard to get to that
10:28were hit by Helene, particularly in the mountainous one road areas of western
10:34North Carolina. Have you and authorities FEMA North Carolina, have
10:41you reached all of the areas affected?
10:46So we are in the communities across western North Carolina. I have been with
10:51Governor Cooper for the last week and understanding and talking to the local
10:56officials about where their needs are, which is why we've surged in more
11:00resources, and they are going from the pods to people's doorsteps to make sure
11:05that they have the food and supplies. We are going to continue Jake to have
11:10that level of presence and sustain that operation because we also know
11:14that they're going to be a long time before the water and the power is
11:18restored. We're gonna have to continue bringing these resources in to
11:22everybody that's been impacted, especially in these more remote areas
11:26that have limited access. But have all of the remote areas been reached
11:34at this point? We have teams that are in every county that has been impacted.
11:39We've been working with the state to make sure we have not missed anybody.
11:43As I was with Governor Cooper this morning, we're getting positive news
11:47about progress being made, but we don't want to stop. We do want to make sure
11:52we have reached everybody. And so we're tracking that, and we're gonna make
11:55sure that we continue to support the governor as long as he's needed. I want
11:59to address the many rumors surrounding FEMA on the response to the storm.
12:04Former President Trump claimed FEMA has been running out of funds because the
12:08Biden administration diverted those funds to quote illegal migrants coming
12:12into the country. That's not true. Another one is that FEMA is only giving
12:18out $750 to each family that that's the that's the extent of what American
12:23families are going to get, even while foreign aid goes to places like Lebanon
12:27and Ukraine. What's your response to these rumors? These attacks? Yeah.
12:34Well, Jake, I'm glad that you brought it up because one is just categorically
12:38false. We have been there supporting Governor Cooper and everybody across
12:43Western North Carolina. We had teams on the ground before the storm made
12:48landfall in Western North Carolina, and we are continuing to support. Our
12:52funding has not been impacted by any of those other needs across, you know, the
12:58federal government. It's dedicated to us, and I can assure you that no
13:01funding has been taken from the disaster to leave funds. FEMA
13:05Administrator D. N. Criswell, thank you so much. Best of luck to you. Mike
13:09Boylan now. Veteran storm chaser runs the popular hurricane tracking website
13:12Mike's weather page more than a million followers, and he joins me now from
13:16Clearwater Tampa area of Florida. And I'm Mike. I know your audio is good.
13:19Even if we lose your shot, I want viewers to know we can hear you. So I
13:23know you're surrounded by debris now from Hurricane Helene. You've got
13:26Milton coming winds topping 180 miles an hour, even if it strikes at slightly
13:31weaker speeds than that. What stands out to you right now? The most about a
13:36storm that has strengthened from a tropical storm to 180 miles an hour in
13:41a day.
13:45Yeah, it's it's unprecedented. I mean, it's record setting. Pressure is under
13:48900 millibar now.
13:53It should be pretty. Yeah, it's not for me is the direction coming west to
13:59east. That's very rare. Hitting almost the same spot that was just less than
14:03two weeks ago. And, you know, my hometown here in Oldsmar, every street
14:07is lined up, and we just lost darkness. But it's like a war zone and street
14:13after street after street is just everything. Uh, they're gonna get
14:18double the surge. You got with Helene.
14:21Uh,
14:27Mike, I'm having a little trouble hearing you. I'm gonna ask another
14:29question. I'll see if I can hear you answer. So if I interrupt you, it's
14:32because I can't fully hear you. But you know how much of what we're seeing from
14:36what you see living there and having gone through so many storms in your
14:40lifetime and professionally, how much of this is just a terrible storm?
14:45Unprecedented in some ways. How much of it do you believe is directly related
14:49to climate change?
14:51Mhm.
14:56So let's see. But I do know the water temperatures. I mean, these water
14:59temperatures are some of the hottest we've seen in over 10 15 years below
15:02the surface. Water temperatures, ocean heat content. That's a big part of the
15:06fuel for hurricanes, and that is one of the major.
15:11But this year we're getting warm storms in the Gulf of Mexico, and they just
15:17explosive. We saw last year I was on your show with Lee. Luckily, it didn't
15:20affect anybody. But the power of the excuse me,
15:24number five is definitely part of this warm. Mike, I'm gonna thank you here
15:29because I'm having I'm having trouble hearing you. I think I got the main
15:32part about what you said. This is warmest temperatures that you've seen
15:35in 15 years and deep down below the water as well. But thank you very much
15:39looking at that incredibly small. I giving this storm such incredible power
15:43from the center. 180 miles an hour right now for sustained wind got word
15:47that President Biden in Florida Governor Ron DeSantis spoke tonight
15:50about the preparations for Hurricane Milton. It's now packing sustained
15:53winds of 180 miles an hour with higher gusts and expected to hit Florida's
15:56West Coast, possibly in the Tampa area. Officials are warning people not to
16:01take this one lightly. Milton is the strongest hurricane in the Gulf in
16:04nearly 20 years, the strongest star storm so far this year anywhere on the
16:08planet, making matters even more ominous. The storm is expected to hit
16:12an area still cleaning up from Hurricane Helene nearly two weeks ago.
16:15Joining us now is Sheila Locasano, who lives in Longboat Key, Florida
16:19Barrier Island near Sarasota. Her community was hard hit during Helene.
16:23Thank you so much for being with us. First of all, what's it been like
16:27trying to recover from Helene and now having to deal with this?
16:31Um,
16:33Helene was, uh, it was a nightmare. I stayed, um, and nobody had any idea of
16:41the surge that we were going to encounter. And, um, the whole island,
16:46all the all the islands around us have, um, struggled with that. The damage
16:53was terrible. Um, up and down. Anna Maria, Longboat, Siesta, Lido. Um,
17:02it's it's been unbelievable. Yeah, we're looking at some of your video,
17:05which I think is from a resort there. I mean, it's just it's just it just
17:09looks awful. And the storm surge for this for Milton is expected to be, I
17:13think, like twice as big.
17:16I can't even I can't imagine it. Are you? Are you gonna get out?
17:21I will be. I will be out of here by noon tomorrow. That's the deadline. Um,
17:28uh, it's not gonna be easy to leave, but I am leaving. And do you know, I
17:34mean, are all your neighbors gonna do the same? Yes, this is the first storm
17:38that I can't find anybody that's staying, and that's a good thing. Um,
17:42everybody is taking this very seriously. You saw the destruction that when you
17:47see it in the videos that we're facing every day right now, um, you just can't
17:55even imagine staying. Most places are just shells of themselves. People have
17:59been working really hard, cleaning their places out. And, um, the debris
18:03that's all up and down the island, all the islands is just unimaginable.
18:10What's the recovery been like? I mean, are you? Do you hear from authorities?
18:15Do you? Do you? Do you have resources available to you? Um, oh, my goodness.
18:21Longboat has been just outstanding. They've been giving away water and mop
18:27buckets and tarps and, um, different businesses are doing lunches for people.
18:34And it's it's just it's a wonderful small town community, and it's the same
18:40for all the barrier islands. Everybody comes together. Um, it it's it's unlike
18:48anything I've ever seen. And I don't like I didn't give you the video, but
18:52the sand dunes that are up and down the main thoroughfares all these
18:56communities, the sand dunes are hired six, eight feet, 10 feet high.
19:04You know, I can hear just the emotion in your voice and how how I mean, just
19:08how difficult this is. It's is that based on what you've seen already and
19:15just the idea of leaving again?
19:18Well, I yeah, I've never, um, been to the point where I'm literally looking
19:24at every item in our home and deciding, Do I take it or do I leave it? And the
19:29thought of it just floating in the water somewhere. Um, it's just it's
19:34really hard to bear.
19:37How much? I mean, have you decided what to take? I mean, obviously, I
19:41photographed things like that. But I mean, making those choices. That's I'm
19:44taking clothes, my clothes and, um, my pickleball paddle.
19:50Sheila, uh, I appreciate you talking to us. I'm so sorry for for what you're
19:55going through, and I wish you the best and we'll continue to check in with you
19:58as this thing developed so much. Thank you for getting out there. Um, there's
20:03just after this, so many communities are going to be in such need. Yeah, I
20:08can't even imagine what 48 hours is going to bring. Yeah, well, we wish you
20:12the best and we'll check in with you. Thank you. Thank you. As we mentioned
20:16earlier, a whole lot of people are getting out of harm's way and
20:18evacuating Florida's West Coast. Did you see plenty of traffic on the
20:21interstate around Tampa? Joining us right now is Chief Barbara Tripp at
20:24Tampa's Fire Rescue Chief. I appreciate your time. I know busy. You are. Um,
20:28you're still dealing with stuff from Helene. How much more dangerous does
20:31that make the threat of Hurricane Milton now?
20:36Well, um, first foremost, thank you for having us. And it's actually
20:40definitely a threat. With this magnitude of this storm, you know,
20:44with this magnitude of this storm, uh, Tampa, the Tampa Bay area is
20:49definitely gonna feel Hurricane Milton. We are just trying to get over
20:52his force to clean up with a lot of the debris and a lot of devastation
20:56that a lot of families held. And we're still in the cleanup process. And
21:00with this storm and with all of the wind and the damage, we're just
21:03trying to make it as safe as possible for the community to be able to deal
21:08with Milton. How are evacuation efforts going? What are you most concerned
21:12about right now?
21:15Um, I can say the evacuation is going. I hate to say going great, but which
21:20is good because law enforcement is going door to door and a lot of the
21:23evacuation areas which evacuation and B has been declared by the county.
21:29And we have here to those ordinance as well. So with that being said, the
21:35interstates, of course, is definitely packed with everyone heading, you
21:39know, east or north. And it's been great. People are definitely listen
21:45this time. That was one of the biggest concern because when we evacuated
21:48with Hurricane Helene, a lot of the residents did not leave their
21:53residence. And then we had to do a lot of rescue rescue. Um, those
21:58residents which put our first responders in danger. So you feel like
22:03most people are heating this. Um, what is your message to, you know, to
22:09the people of Tampa tonight?
22:12My message to people of Tampa is to continue to heed to the local
22:18instructions and laws as far as
22:22have many shelters that are open and we're welcoming all families,
22:26friends, pets to come to a safe haven place. We know materialistic stuff.
22:32Some things can be replaced and some things can't. But most important,
22:36your life cannot be replaced and you can't challenge yourself with mother
22:39nature because she definitely always win. So we want everyone to
22:43definitely, you know, hide from the winds and run from the rain. And,
22:47of course, with this particular storm here, we're expected to have a lot
22:50of, um, um, rain and wind, which is going to be very damaging to the
22:55city of Tampa. Chief Barbara Tripp, Tampa's fire rescue. Appreciate it.
22:59Thank you so much.