Hurricane Milton is churning toward Florida’s west coast . The Tampa Bay area , home to more than 3.3 million people, is facing the possibility of widespread destruction after avoiding direct hits from major hurricanes for more than a century.
Follow AP’s coverage of tropical weather at https://apnews.com/hub/hurricanes . Here’s the latest: MIAMI — The U.
S. Coast Guard has pre-staged and prepositioned personnel, aircraft and boats in advance of Hurricane Milton. “Our Coast Guard crews are part of the communities where they live and serve.
Our homes and families were also impacted by Helene and now, they are threatened by Milton,” said Rear Adm. Douglas Schofield, the commander of the Seventh Coast Guard District in Miami. Coast Guard crews are ready to assist with urgent search and rescue, to assess damage to seaports and expedite their safe reopening, and to respond to marine pollution incidents resulting from the storm.
There are 27 aircraft, including 17 on immediate standby and 10 Coast Guard Auxiliary aircraft. There are also 30 cutters and three floodwater response teams, with 16 crews and 19 boats stationed at Camp Blanding in northeast Florida. PASCO COUNTY, Fla.
— In a statement published online Wednesday afternoon, the Pasco County Public Information Office said if residents hadn’t evacuated yet, it was “time to ride out the storm where you are.” In a follow up video message, Pasco Assistant Fire Chief Ryan Guynn said there would be a window of s.