Hurricane Milton updates: 911 on verge of shutting down as eerie sight spotted on empty Florida streets

Sarasota County officials say the area is on the verge of pausing its 911 service as winds pick up.

Local services will stop when wind speeds hit 45mph. They’re currently at 22mph.

Anyone needing emergency help has been told to call 911.

But police, fire and ambulance services have warned they’ll not be able to respond ‘until it’s safe for teams to get back on the roads,’ the Herald-Tribune reported.

Sarasota is set to be ground zero for the eye of Milton, which is forecast to make landfall around 11pm Wednesday night.

Locals have been warned to brace for a 12 foot wall of water, known as a storm surge, that will destroy everything in its path.

Police block a bridge in Sarasota on Wednesday afternoon. Locals in the city have warned that during severe weather conditions, emergency services will not be able to respond until it is safe to do so again.

The Oyster Bay marina area is closed as the town prepares for Hurricane Milton in Oyster Bay, Sarasota, Florida

A boat run aground from a previous storm rests on the shore as Hurricane Milton approaches

Groups of sandhill cranes have been spotted strutting down deserted Florida streets after Hurricane Milton sent locals fleeing.

The birds were filmed walking down a deserted residential street and in a gas station, emitting an eerie squawk.

Some locals suggested the birds’ behavior was evidence of a sixth sense about the impending terrible weather event.

But experts have insisted they regularly make the same call during settled weather – and that the sight of them in built-up areas is just a result of ongoing evacuation orders.

The eye of Milton is currently forecast to strike the Sarasota area around 11pm tonight, with a 12 foot wall of water called a storm surge set to destroy the area’s coastline.

• The Herald Tribune reported that the city of Bradenton is warning residents that there is a large water break that will not be repaired before the storm arrives.
• The water main break is affecting homes and businesses in the city.
• Officials said slow water flow caused the pipe to break but are not able to repair it before landfall tonight.
• Bradenton is between Tampa and Sarasopta, the area expected to be hit the hardest.

Terrifying webcam footage showed a tornado causing utter chaos near Cape Coral on Wednesday afternoon.

The twister was seen crossing a body of water in Matlacha, which sits around 130 miles south of Tampa Bay.

A deserted road bridge was pummeled with rain and severe wind, with telegraph poles on the structure seeming to sway.

The footage appeared to show the concrete bridge itself swaying. But It is unclear if the crossing moved and was damaged – or if it was the webcam itself that was rocking.

Other tornadoes formed in Henry and Broward counties.

Meanwhile, photos show huge waves pumelling a sea wall in St Petersburg, near where Milton will make landfall later today.

Waves crash against a sea wall in St Petersburg, Florida on Wednesday afternoon. St Pete sits close to where Milton will make landfall later this evening.

• John Daly says he has evacuated Tampa, Florida with Hurricane Milton closing in on the state – weeks after revealing Hurricane Helene destroyed one of his family homes.
• The 58-year-old took to Instagram to send a message to his followers on Wednesday, saying: ‘Here we go again – Sending prayers A for all of us who have family, friends & neighbors that is threatened today by #Milton.

• A power pole lays on the ground after it was snapped in half after what appeared to be a tornado passed through the area before Hurricane Milton’s arrival.
• Multiple tornadoes have been spotted in South Florida ahead of Hurricane Milton’s arrival ashore.
• The National Hurricane Center says Milton was ‘growing in size’ as it approached the coast. It said ‘life threatening storm surge’ and ‘damaging winds’ were both still expected.

• The Sarasota area has started seeing some flooding as Hurricane Milton gets nearer.
• A view of flooded road as Hurricane Milton bears down on the Gulf Coast in Sarasota.

• Tourism in Orlando rapidly came to a standstill Wednesday with the main airport and at least three theme parks and other businesses set to shut down.
• Milton, which is expected to come ashore late Wednesday as a major storm, threatened to ruin the vacations of tens of thousands of tourists who came to Orlando to visit the likes of Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando and SeaWorld, or partake in October festivities like Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights.
• Disney and Universal were due to close Wednesday afternoon while SeaWorld did not open at all. All are expected to remain closed Thursday.
• Orlando International Airport, the nation’s seventh busiest and Florida’s most trafficked, ceased operations Wednesday morning.

• As the clock ticks down to the moment of dread, the Mail’s GREG WOODFIELD reveals how Florida is bracing for an ‘inevitable apocalypse.’

The National Service Center issued an alert at 2.30pm EST to those in Hurricane Milton’s path, saying it is now time to shelter in place.

‘It’s time to shelter-in-place from #Milton. Tropical-storm force winds, flooding rains, and tornadoes are spreading inland across FL,’ the agency said on social media.

‘Unless a life-threatening situation arises, stay indoors and follow updates.’

Meanwhile those in Manatee county have been told it is now too late to evacuate.

‘Where you are now is where you are going to be during the duration of Milton,’ said the county’s chief of emergency management, Matt Myers. ‘The conditions are rapidly getting worse.’

Myers said EMS and fire protection are no longer responding to the county’s islands and bridges are closed.

Officials said they expect the hurricane to make landfall in the area overnight. They urged citizens sheltering in place to stay in the center of their home and make sure their devices are charged.

A view of some of the 700 evacuees in the gymnasium in shelter at River Ridge Middle/High School in preparation for Hurricane Milton on Wednesday in New Port Richey, Florida.

Robert Haight grabs some belongings from his wrecked home in Fort Myers, Florida on Wednesday afternoon after its roof was ripped off by a tornado caused by Hurricane Milton.

• A view of some of the 700 evacuees in the gymnasium in shelter at River Ridge Middle/High School in preparation for Hurricane Milton

President Joe Biden slammed Donald Trump and Marjorie Taylor Greene for spreading false information around hurricane efforts, calling them out by name for their ‘lies.’

‘Former President Trump has led the onslaught of lies,’ Biden said during a briefing on Hurricane Milton at the White House.

Trump has used his large megaphone – his social media following and his political rallies – to criticize the Biden administration’s response, including making false claims that there is no money for the state because it’s going to illegal immigrants and that only blue states will get recovery funds.

‘For those saying the money is needed for this crisis is being diverted to migrants: what a ridiculous thing to say. It’s not true,’ Biden said.

He went on to slam Greene, a Trump supporter.

‘Now the claims are getting even more bizarre. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene – the Congresswoman from Georgia – is now saying the federal government is literally controlling the weather. We’re controlling the weather. It’s beyond ridiculous. It’s got to stop,’ Biden said.

• The National Hurricane Center has said Minton could make landfall as early as 11pm Wednesday.
• Milton’s landfall point has shifted south by about 10 miles, to the Sarasota area.
• Below, Hurricane Milton is seen as itadvances towards Florida in a view from Dragon Endeavor docked with the International Space Station.

• Just after noon Wednesday, surge was already starting to appear along the harbor in Cape Coral, at the mouth of the Caloosahatchee River.
• The water had moved well up the beach and was nearing the parking lot. A pier was within a foot of being submerged.
• Heavy rains from bands associated with Hurricane Milton were bringing heavy rain and wind gusts up to 40 mph.

• Disney-goers were seen walking outside the park in Orlando on Wednesday as Hurricane Milton approached the state.
• The parks were open in the morning but are expected to close Wednesday at 1pm EST and will likely remain closed on Thursday.

• Miami officials have ordered those along Lake Okeechobee to take shelter as a multi-vortex tornado was seen moving onshore near Lakeport.

• ‘This is the largest Florida National Guard search and rescue mobilization in the entire history of the state of Florida,’ he said during a Wednesday briefing.
• There are 31,000 people in shelters and there’s room for nearly 200,000 people, ‘so there is space available in these shelters,’ he said.

• A satellite image shows Hurricane Milton progressing before its expected landfall in Florida, in the Gulf of Mexico on October 9.

• Tampa officials rescued a dog that had been left tied to a pole on the I-75 highway as the area prepares for Hurricane Milton.
• Troopers said: ‘Do NOT do this to your pets please…’

• The latest official model from the National Weather Service shows Hurricane Milton making landfall south of the Tampa Bay as a Category 3 storm between midnight and 1am Thursday.
• Milton was centered about 190 miles southwest of Tampa late Wednesday morning and was a strong Category 4 storm with maximum sustained winds of 145 mph, the hurricane center reported.
• For more information on the storm’s forecast, read here.

Hurricane Milton has triggered fears of tall building collapses in St Petersburg, which sits next to Tampa, after city officials warned about tall construction cranes.

Three of the super-tall cranes are causing safety bosses the most worries, according to Fox13.

Two of the cranes are in downtown, while the third is in St Pete’s Carillon area.

The structures are capable of withstanding winds of up to 100mph – but Milton is set to bring gusts of up to 140mph.

That could see the huge cranes collapse – and potentially topple the buildings they’re working on if they crash down on top of them.

The cranes take several weeks to dismantle, with developers not able to bring them down fast enough when first alerted to Milton.

Locals living close to the three danger sites have been warned to stay in an inner room of their home without windows, to minimize the risk of being injured or killed by a collapsing crane.

Sidewalks and parking have also been restricted.

This crane in St Petersburg, Florida, is among three that city officials could be toppled by Hurricane Milton

• South Florida officials have told people to take cover as a tornado formed in Hendry and crossed the I-75 highway.
• ‘At 1015 AM EDT, a confirmed large and extremely dangerous tornado was located near Big Cypress Seminole Reservation, or 22 miles southeast of Montura, moving north at 25 mph,’ the National Weather Service said Wednesday.
• Another tornado formed in Broward County.
• ‘You are in a life-threatening situation,’ the agency added. ‘Flying debris may be deadly to those caught without shelter.’
• Meteorilogists have warned south Florida could see tornados as Hurricane Milton approaches.

• Residents of Pinellas County received an emergency alert telling them time is running out to evacuate the area ahead of Hurricane Milton’s landfall.
• The alert read: ‘GET OUT NOW. THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE TO GET OUT BEFORE THE STORM.’
• It added: ‘Deadly storm surge is expected.’

• How long storm will last: Wednesday 4 p.m. – Thursday 3 p.m.
• Peak wind speeds: 80-100 mph with gusts to 115 mph, Thursday 12 a.m. to 6 a.m.
• Rainfall totals: 10-15 inches
• Peak rainfall times: Wednesday 2 p.m. – Thursday 8 a.m.
• Storm surge totals: 8-12 feet above ground in flood prone areas, peaking Wednesday 10 p.m. – Thursday 6 a.m.

• How long storm will last: Wednesday 3 p.m. – Thursday 3 p.m.
• Peak wind speeds: 90 to 110 mph with gusts to 140 mph, Wednesday 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.
• Rainfall totals: 6-8 inches
• Peak rainfall times: Wednesday 2 p.m. – Thursday 8 a.m.
• Storm surge totals: 10-15 feet above ground in flood prone areas, peaking Wednesday 10 p.m. – Thursday 6 a.m.

• How long storm will last: Wednesday 9 p.m. – Thursday 6 p.m.
• Peak wind speeds: 70-90 mph with gusts to 100 mph Thursday 8 a.m. – Thursday 1 p.m.
• Rainfall totals: 10-15 inches
• Peak rainfall times: Wednesday 7 a.m. – Thursday 11 a.m.

• How long storm will last: Wednesday 4 p.m. – Thursday 3 p.m.
• Peak wind speeds: 25-35 mph with gusts to 55 mph, Wednesday 11 p.m. – Thursday 7 a.m.
• Rainfall totals: 2-4 inches
• Peak rainfall times: Wednesday 10 a.m. – Thursday 2 a.m.
• Storm surge totals: 8-12 feet above ground in flood prone areas, peaking Thursday 12 a.m. – Thursday 6 a.m.

• The National Weather Service on Wednesday morning issued the watch, which includes a vast part of Florida, including the Tampa area, the Florida Keys and Miami-Dade County.

As Tampa prepares for the arrival of Hurricane Milton, members of the National Guard are seen above putting up a flood barrier around a waste water facility.

• Almost two third of gas stations in Tampa and neighboring St Petersburg are sold out of gas.
• Gasbuddy reported that 59% of gas stations have run dry ahead of Hurricane Milton.
• At least 23 percent of all gas stations have also sold out, as people flee Milton or stock up to hunker down for the extreme weather.

• A view shows an AquaFence barrier at Tampa General Hospital, as Hurricane Milton approaches, in Tampa.

• This is the moment sick passengers are airlifted from a luxury cruise ship as it lies stranded off the coast of Florida – while Hurricane Milton sweeps in.
• The Sun Princess, which set off from Southampton just 16 days ago, was due to dock in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, tomorrow morning but was turned away because of the storm.
• It is now stationed five miles off the American coast, as the mainland prepares for floodwaters to reach heights of 15feet – taller than a double decker bus – and residents have been ordered to ‘flee or die’.

• Hospitals are facing a shortage of life-saving IV fluids due to damage caused by Hurricane Helene – and some have resorted to giving patients Gatorade as a makeshift treatment.
• Baxter International, one of the largest IV solution suppliers in the US, provides roughly 60 percent of the intravenous solutions used every day during surgeries, in intensive care units, for dialysis patients and to administer life-saving medications.
• The company’s manufacturing of those solutions has been halted, however, because of the extensive damage the category 4 storm caused at its facility in Marion, North Carolina.

• Seminole County had to clarify an evacuation order after issuing a wrong alert that told the entire county to leave the area ahead of Hurricane Milton.

A new National Hurricane Center forecast has lowered Milton’s anticipated storm surge slightly, to 12 feet.

That’s slightly less than the 15 foot wall of water the hurricane was originally forecast to bring to Tampa Bay.

But it’s still a record-height and will likely destroy anything in its path.

The storm surge is expected to begin building late Wednesday night and peak in the early hours of Thursday morning.

• Milton was centered about 300 miles southwest of Tampa early Wednesday with maximum sustained winds of 160 mph, the hurricane center reported.
• It was moving northeast at 14 mph early Wednesday and was expected to continue moving in that direction with an increase in its forward speed through Wednesday night, with landfall expected late Wednesday or early Thursday morning.
• It was expected to turn toward the east-northeast and east on Thursday and Friday.

• Clearwater, Florida, looked deserted on Wednesday morning as the area prepares for Hurricane Milton, expected to land on Wednesday night.

• Joe, in video now circulating widely online, explains that ‘God’ told him to ‘come out here and get a boat’. ‘He’s got my back. I’m in good shape. I’m not sweating it.’

• Researches took a bumpy ride into the storm as they collect data about the historic hurricane Milton.
• They call their hurricane aircraft ‘miss piggy,’ according to their social media.

• Officials said those choosing to stay and ride out Hurricane Milton would be left to fend for themselves, with Tampa Mayor Jane Castor declaring that the 15 feet of storm surge forecast for her city would be deep enough to submerge entire houses.
• ‘So if you’re in it, basically that’s the coffin that you’re in,’ she said flatly.

• Pinellas County officials have warned that the storm surge in some areas could submerge entire homes.
• They have said homes can be removed from their foundations and warned people in the danger zone that they are not likely to survive the storm surge.

• Officials have warned that even places that are inland face massive flooding due persistent rainfall between 12 and 16 inches in the Tampa area.
• The heaviest rains are expected to fall between 9am and 5am and could lead to catastrophic flooding.
• The rainfall is expected south if the I-4 corridor and includes Orlando, as reported by The New York Times.

• At least 11 Florida counties, home to about 5.9 million people, are under mandatory evacuation orders.
• The National Hurricane Center predicted Milton, a Category 5 hurricane during much of its approach, would likely weaken but remain a major hurricane when it makes landfall late Wednesday or early Thursday.

A thunderstorm and dark gray clouds were seen over Tampa Bay on Tuesday evening, as Milton moves closer to the area.

The sun-soaked city sees regular storms. But its position in the Gulf of Mexico usually protects it from Hurricanes, which tend to form in the Atlantic Ocean.

Milton is set to be the worst hurricane to hit Tampa since 1921. Parts of the area were flooded by Hurricane Helene two weeks ago, with 12 locals dying.

But Helene quickly moved north, where it caused most devastation in North Carolina and Tennessee, flooding valleys and wiping entire towns off the map.

More than 230 were killed by Helene, with its death toll expected to rise.

Milton is expected to cause far more extreme weather – including a fifteen foot wall of water known as a storm surge.

Tampa Bay residents in the path of the storm have been given days to evacuate, but some have chosen to remain behind.

Florida residents have been warned to avoid Milton’s floodwaters where possible over the risk of deadly flesh-eating bacteria.

The state’s health department says Milton’s storm surge will contain increased levels of Vibrio bacteria.

It can infect people with open wounds, or those who have compromised immune systems or liver disease.

Diabetes sufferers and those with cancer are also more vulnerable to Vibrio infections.

Heavy rainfall and flooding like that expected to happen during Milton increases the concentration of Vibrio in the water.

Milton’s winds are starting to hit Florida’s shores. The eye of the storm should strike the Tampa Bay area in the early hours of Thursday as a Category 4 hurricane.

Vibrio bacteria are pictured under a microscope. The flesh-eating bacteria will be present in higher quantities in Milton’s floodwaters, health officials have warned

• Hurricane Milton was upgraded back to a Category 5 storm as it churns toward Florida’s west coast.
• The Tampa Bay area, home to more than 3.3 million people, faced the possibility of widespread destruction after avoiding direct hits from major hurricanes for more than a century.
• Milton is expected to make landfall in Florida Wednesday night or early Thursday as an ‘extremely dangerous hurricane.’
• The latest models show Milton hitting Tampa at 1am Thursday.