Hurricane Milton intensifies to 'potentially catastrophic' storm

Hind Al Soulia - Riyadh - MIAMI — Hurricane Milton has rapidly intensified into an extremely dangerous category five storm as it tears its way toward the US state of Florida.

Milton is packing ferocious winds of up to 180 mph (285km/h) as it skirts the northern edge of Mexico's Yucatan peninsula. Forecasters warn of potentially catastrophic storm surges along coastal areas.

The storm is expected to hit the heavily populated city of Tampa Bay with full force on Wednesday.

Floridians have been told to prepare for the state's largest evacuation effort in years, with Governor Ron DeSantis warning that time for people to evacuate is quickly running out.

"We have to assume this is going to be a monster," Governor DeSantis said at a press conference on Monday afternoon.

Warnings over Hurricane Milton come just 10 days after Hurricane Helene -- the deadliest mainland storm since Katrina in 2005 -- pummelled the US southeast, killing at least 225 people. Hundreds more are missing.

At least 14 of those deaths were in Florida, where 51 of 67 counties are now under emergency warnings as Milton approaches.

"Unfortunately, some of the Helene victims are in the path of this storm," DeSantis said.

Ken Graham, director of the National Weather Service [NWS], said Milton became a category five hurricane at record-breaking speed - with wind speeds intensifying by 80 knots (148km/h) over 24 hours.

"That's the third highest we have on record," he said.

Hurricanes are separated into five categories based on their wind speed.

Those reaching category three and higher are considered major hurricanes because of their potential for significant loss of life and damage, according to the NWS.

Hurricane Milton is expected to weaken on Tuesday as it travels over the Gulf of Mexico, dropping to a category three storm by the time it makes landfall in Florida's Tampa Bay on Wednesday evening or early on Thursday.

The National Hurricane Center warned torrential rain and flash-flooding can be expected across parts of Florida from late Monday.

It added that life-threatening storm surges and damaging winds along portions of Florida's west coast were possible from late Tuesday or early Wednesday.

Rainfall totals could reach localised highs of 15in (38cm), and coastal areas could see storm surges of 10-15ft (3-4.5m).

Counties began issuing evacuation orders on Monday, and tolls will be suspended on roads in western and central Florida.

Long queues at petrol stations began forming in south Florida, with some reports of stations running out of fuel.

Traffic congestion in some areas has increased by as much as 90% above average, DeSantis said.

School closures in several counties begin on Tuesday.

Keith Turi, a spokesperson for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema), said: "I’m encouraged by the amount of evacuation that’s going on right now."

"This is actually a good sign."

Parts of Pinellas County, where at least a dozen people were killed by Helene, were placed under evacuation orders on Monday.

Airports in Tampa and Orlando announced they would be suspending flight operations from Tuesday because of the storm.

Foul weather derailed the presidential campaign as well.

DeSantis spoke by phone with President Joe Biden, but according to NBC News, he has refused to take any calls from Vice-President Kamala Harris, who is running for president against former President Donald Trump.

"I didn’t know she called me.... I was not aware of that,” DeSantis said.

Harris, asked about her calls not being answered on Monday afternoon, responded that “playing political games with this moment, in these crisis situation[s], these are the height of emergency situation[s], [is] utterly irresponsible,

"And it is selfish and it is about political gamesmanship instead of doing the job that you took an oath to do, which is to put the people first.”

A town hall-style event to be filmed with former Trump in Miami on Tuesday was postponed until next week.

“The health and safety of everyone involved in this event is the highest priority,” said the host network Univision.

The approach of the new hurricane comes as the US government warns that clean-up efforts could take years after Hurricane Helene.

Over 12,000 cubic yards of debris have been removed in Helene-affected areas of Florida in less than two days, officials said.

DeSantis said debris removal will continue "until it is no longer safe to do so".

Hundreds of roads in affected areas remain closed, hampering efforts to send aid to hard-hit communities.

Helene made landfall in late September as a category four hurricane - damaging structures, causing flash flooding and knocking out power to millions of homes.

As well as in Florida, deaths were recorded in Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia - and the worst-hit state, North Carolina.

Biden has ordered another 500 soldiers to be deployed to North Carolina. The troops - who now number 1,500 in all - will work with thousands of government relief workers and National Guard.

Biden has so far approved nearly $140m (£107m) in federal assistance. — BBC