Evacuations in Florida due to approaching hurricane Milton

tallahassee - Authorities in Florida issued warnings to evacuate coastal areas, causing traffic jams as Hurricane Milton approaches.

In Florida, on Monday, traffic jams occurred following warnings from authorities to evacuate coastal areas. The American National Hurricane Center describes Milton as "potentially extremely threatening." The air pressure in the eye of the hurricane is so low that it is nearly at a record level, according to the NHC. Milton reached sustained wind speeds of 285 kilometers per hour on Monday. It is expected that the hurricane will weaken in strength before making landfall, possibly becoming a category three hurricane, as reported by CBS News. Coastal areas are expected to experience a storm surge of between 1.5 and 3.5 meters, with local rainfall reaching up to 38 centimeters.

The hurricane follows Hurricane Helene by over a week, which claimed the lives of 235 people in the US according to CNN. In Florida, 20 people lost their lives. "Unfortunately, some areas impacted by Helene are being hit again by Milton," said DeSantis.

The mayor of Tampa, Jane Castor, compared Helene to a "wake-up call" in comparison to Milton. "If you live in an area under evacuation orders but choose to ignore them, you will simply die," she warned residents. She described the storm as "literally catastrophic."

According to DeSantis, residents are heeding the evacuation orders issued by authorities. Long lines formed at gas stations and traffic volume increased by 90 percent on various routes, he said.