Hurricane Milton continues its approach and will be making landfall this evening or early Thursday morning as a major hurricane with extreme storm surge levels and damaging winds.
As of the 3pm update from the National Hurricane Center Milton has maximum sustained winds of 130 mph and is moving northeast at 16 mph. Its current projected path brings it ashore somewhere between Sarasota and Tampa Bay.
What are called "tornadic supercells" from Milton have already begun sweeping across our listening area and that is expected to continue until this storm has passed. Southwest Floridians should expect a significant possibility for tornadoes until sometime tomorrow morning.
Projections show Milton’s landfall somewhere between Sarasota and Tampa Bay. The latest projections show storm surge levels between 8-12 feet from Bonita Beach to Boca Grande — and 10-15 feet from Boca Grande to Anna Maria Island, which is on the southern end of Tampa Bay. That means more than 150 miles of coastline experiencing storm surge that could top 8 feet and be as high as 15 feet.
We get an update from Tim Miller at the Florida Public Radio Emergency Network. We also check in with the Salvation Army of Collier County to learn about the preparations they're making for after Milton passes through. And we get some tips on staying calm and maintaining peace of mind during these tense times.
You can reach out to the Salvation Army of Collier County to offer assistance at 239-775-9447 (main campus) or 239-775-0721 (thrift store).
Guests:
Tim Miller, Director of FPREN and Chief Meteorologist University of Florida
Captain Will Conley, Commanding Officer of the Salvation Army of Collier County
Ariella VanHara, Clinical Assistant Professor of Social Work at Florida Gulf Coast University, and Licensed Clinical Social Worker
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