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Driving on highway shoulders, gas shortages and booked up hotels.
Those are some of the complications Floridians are facing as they make and execute plans to leave their homes under the largest evacuation order they’ve seen since 2017. They’re bracing for Hurricane Milton less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene pummeled Florida’s Big Bend as a Category 4 storm, leaving at least 20 dead in the state with officials warning Milton’s impact could be even more severe and far-reaching.
“I can say without any dramatization whatsoever, if you choose to stay in one of those evacuation areas, you’re going to die,” Tampa Mayor Jane Castor told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins Monday, strongly urging residents to heed the warnings before it’s too late.
The state’s Division of Emergency Management is preparing for the largest evacuation since 2017, Director Kevin Guthrie said Sunday at a news conference with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who declared a state of emergency for 51 of the state’s 67 counties.
Octavio Jones/Reuters
Rich Lorenzen and his son Sam Grande carry their belongings as they prepare to evacuate their home before the arrival of Hurricane Milton, St. Pete Beach, Florida, on October 7.
And as if residents don’t have enough to worry about as they try to evacuate, the National Weather Service office in Miami warns scattered tornadoes might hinder those emergency plans.
“Several places may experience tornado damage with a few spots of considerable damage, power loss, and communication failures,” the agency said.
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To help facilitate evacuations, people using interstate highways to flee can use the left shoulder lane to keep traffic moving, the Florida Department of Transportation announced on Monday, a move that’s typically reserved only for emergencies such as hurricanes.
“To help facilitate evacuations … Emergency Shoulder Use (ESU) plans are actively being put in place for Eastbound I-4 and portions of Northbound I-75,” the Florida DOT said in a post on X.
The traffic flow changes are also meant to ensure that supplies, emergency services and utility crews can get to areas potentially impacted by the storm.
“Law enforcement and signage will alert motorists on when to enter and exit the shoulder,” the agency added.
Florida is also waiving tolls on Veterans Expressway and Suncoast Parkway, two parts of a state road that extends north from Tampa, so they can be used as evacuation routes, DeSantis said Tuesday.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
A cyclist navigates a damaged road in Manasota Key, Florida, on October 13.
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A vehicle is stuck in beach sand in Manasota Key.
Rebecca Blackwell/AP
A man peers into the remains of a home in Englewood, Florida, on October 13.
Rebecca Blackwell/AP
A family walks back up a sand-coated street after checking on their storm-damaged home in Manasota Key on October 12.
Rebecca Blackwell/AP
A toppled tree lies on a home on Manasota Key on October 12.
Crystal Vander Weit/TCPalm/USA Today Network/Imagn Images
Connie Gore, left, is comforted by her friend and neighbor Cecelia Smith on October 11 after a tornado caused by Hurricane Milton devastated her home in Martin County, Florida.
Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/AFP/Getty Images
Houses sit destroyed in Port St Lucie, Florida, on October 11 after a tornado hit the area and caused severe damage as the hurricane swept through.
Rebecca Blackwell/AP
Robert Turick stands in one of his home's bedrooms, where the high water mark from Hurricane Milton can be seen on the wall in Englewood. A small positive, Turick said, is that he hadn't yet begun repairs after Hurricane Helene brought 3-foot floodwaters. He, his daughter and his dog were staying elsewhere when Milton flooded his home around to 5 feet.
Cristobal Herrera-Ulashkevich/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
A rescue team checks a damaged property in Manasota Key on October 11.
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A person walks through a flooded street in New Port Richey, Florida, on October 11.
Rebecca Blackwell/AP
The rails of a pool ladder are all that is visible of a pool that was filled with sand after the passage of Hurricane Milton in Venice, Florida.
Julio Cortez/AP
This bridge in Riverview, Florida, was damaged by Milton.
Giorgio Viera/AFP/Getty Images
A man cleans debris inside a gas station in Lakewood Park, Florida, on October 10. A tornado caused by Milton hit the area.
Rebecca Blackwell/AP
A tree toppled by the storm lies atop a home in Siesta Key, Florida, on October 10.
Ricardo Arduengo/Reuters
Boats are piled up on a pier after they were washed ashore when Milton passed through Punta Gorda, Florida, on October 10.
Andrew West/The News-Press/USA Today Network/Imagn Images
Liz Kelly and her son Matt salvage items from their destroyed home in North Fort Myers, Florida, on October 10. A tornado associated with Hurricane Milton ripped through their neighborhood. Matt dove on top of his mother as the roof was peeling off the home. She says he saved her life.
Chandan Khanna/AFP/Getty Images
A vehicle drives though a flooded street in Siesta Key on October 10.
Nadia Zomorodian/Daytona Beach News-Journal/USA Today Network/Reuters
Members of the Volusia Sheriff's Office rescue residents from a flooded area of South Daytona, Florida.
Rebecca Blackwell/AP
A house lies toppled off its stilts after Milton passed through Florida's Bradenton Beach.
Julio Cortez/AP
The roof of Tropicana Field, destroyed by Milton, was shredded in St. Petersburg. Tropicana Field is the home of Major League Baseball’s Tampa Bay Rays.
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Austin Stolpe clears mud from the floor of the Celtic Ray Public House after it was inundated with floodwaters in Punta Gorda.
Julio Cortez/AP
People look at an uprooted tree in Odessa, Florida, on October 10.
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A man cleans sand off a beach-side condominium unit in Venice.
Marta Lavandier/AP
Cars move slowly through Matlacha, Florida, after Hurricane Milton damaged power lines.
Jefferee Woo/Tampa Bay Times via AP
A person rides a bicycle past a damaged building in the Palmetto Beach neighborhood of Tampa on October 10.
Cristobal Herrera-Ulashkevich/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
A boat and debris are seen along a road in Bradenton, Florida.
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People walk near damaged beachside property in Venice on October 10.
Tampa Bay Times/AP
The building that houses the Tampa Bay Times newspaper was damaged when a construction crane fell during the storm in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty Images
People are rescued from an apartment complex in Clearwater on October 10.
Chris Urso/Tampa Bay Times/AP
Debris clogs a roadway in Siesta Key on October 10.
NOAA
A satellite image captures Hurricane Milton reaching the coast of Florida on October 9.
Marco Bello/Reuters
A man in Sarasota, Florida, records the storm as it makes landfall on October 9.
Rebecca Blackwell/AP
The Segundo family, who evacuated from nearby Davis Island, plays a board game at a hotel in Tampa on October 9.
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Brandon Marlow walks through a flooded street in Fort Myers, Florida, on October 9.
Bill Ingram/Palm Beach Post/USA Today Network via Reuters
Marie Cook reacts to her damaged home after a tornado formed by Milton touched down in Wellington, Florida.
Doug Engle/Ocala Star-Banner/USA Today Network/Imagn Images
Stephen Lundgren lies on the floor of the Vanguard High School cafeteria as he tries to get some sleep at the Ocala, Florida, shelter on October 9.
Rebecca Blackwell/AP
Ron Rook, who said he was looking for people in need of help or debris to clear, walks down a deserted street in downtown Tampa on October 9.
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Check-in kiosks are covered in protective plastic at Orlando International Airport on October 9. The airport ceased operations at 8 a.m.
Bill Ingram/The Palm Beach Post/USA Today Network/Imagn Images
Palm Beach County Sheriff's deputies attend to residents affected by a reported tornado in Wellington on October 9.
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People walk through the Disney Springs shopping complex in Orlando ahead of the hurricane's arrival.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Payton Wyse and Andrew Goncharsky pack what they can as they evacuate their Fort Myers apartment on October 9.
Rebecca Blackwell/AP
Christian Burke stands at the door of his home in Gulfport, Florida, on October 9. Outside, a boat sits on its side due to Hurricane Helene.
Ricardo Arduengo/Reuters
A Lee County deputy sheriff talks to a driver near the Fort Myers Beach bridge, which was closed on October 9.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Connor Ferran surveys what is left of his Fort Myers home after what appeared to be a tornado tore the roof off on October 9. Milton spawned several tornadoes as it neared landfall.
Kaila Jones/TC Palm/USA Today Network/Imagn Images
Nicolette Mariano, CEO and aquaculture biologist for her oyster farm, Treasure Coast Shellfish, secures oysters from the farm's dockside nursery in Sebastian, Florida.
Damon Higgins/Palm Beach Daily News/USA Today Network via Imagn Images
An employee of Roofs Done Right attaches metal shutters to a building in Palm Beach, Florida, on October 9.
Rebecca Blackwell/AP
Ted Carlson puts McKenzie, a cat belonging to his friend Evan Purcell, into a pickup truck as they evacuate Purcell's home on Florida's Anna Maria Island on October 8. "This place couldn't handle Helene," Carlson said. "It's all going to be gone."
Rebecca Blackwell/AP
Members of the Florida Army National Guard check for any remaining residents in nearly deserted Bradenton Beach. Around them, piles of debris from Hurricane Helene still sit outside damaged homes.
Yamil Lage/AFP/Getty Images
A man wades through a flooded street in Havana, Cuba.
Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty Images
A hospital worker walks by as an AquaFence flood wall is put into place around Tampa General Hospital on October 9.
NASA
NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick
shared this photo from the International Space Station on October 9. "We flew over Hurricane Milton about 90 minutes ago," he said. "Here is the view out the Dragon Endeavour window."
Lorenzo Hernandez/Reuters
Aurelio Ortiz sits in his flooded home in Celestún, Mexico, on October 9.
Mike Carlson/AP
Debris from homes flooded by Hurricane Helene is piled up on curbs in Port Richey, Florida, on October 9.
Jose Luis Gonzalez/Reuters
People prepare sandbags in Orlando on October 9.
Chris O'Meara/AP
John Fedor waits for transportation to a shelter after his flight was canceled at the Tampa International Airport.
Marta Lavandier/AP
David Jalving throws outdoor furniture into his father's pool in Fort Myers to prepare for Hurricane Milton.
Julio Cortez/AP
Heavy traffic flows northbound on Interstate 75 as people evacuate the Tampa Bay area late on October 7.
Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty Images
A man clears debris left by Hurricane Helene from his home in Treasure Island, Florida.
Octavio Jones/Reuters
A dock is damaged in St. Pete Beach, Florida, on October 7.
Tristan Wheelock/Bloomberg/Getty Images
Piles of debris from Hurricane Helene remain uncollected in Treasure Island.
Marta Lavandier/AP
Domenic Gerald takes a break to watch the latest forecast while packing up his father's vacation home in Fort Myers Beach.
Martin Zetina/AP
A man in Progreso boards up an apartment building to protect it from Hurricane Milton.
Mike Carlson/AP
Contractors in New Port Richey help clean debris left by Hurricane Helene.
Octavio Jones/Reuters
Tropicana Field opened as a staging site for workers and operations. Part of its roof was later torn off during the storm.
Gregg Newton/AFP/Getty Images
Customers check mostly empty bread shelves at a shopping warehouse in Kissimmee, Florida, on October 6.
The Department of Transportation is monitoring traffic conditions along emergency shoulder routes as residents evacuate, and it said although heavy and slow, “traffic is still flowing and moving as intended.”
As many of the evacuees head north into Georgia through Atlanta, Peach Pass, the state’s electronic toll system, is also making traffic changes to assist the overflow of traffic, shifting some of its southbound lanes into northbound lanes, the toll authority said Monday.
For those leaving their homes, alternative accommodation in hotels or rental properties is turning out to be costly and difficult to find as many are at capacity.
The Florida-based hotel group Rosen Hotels & Resorts activated its Florida Resident Distress Rates for those in need of a place to stay in other parts of the state. Meanwhile, cities as far as 400 miles north, such as Dothan, Alabama, have reported no vacancy at their area hotels.
Expedia, Priceline and vacation rental site Vrbo activated emergency policies for travelers whose vacation plans will be affected by Hurricane Milton, according to their sites.
For campers or recreational vehicle owners looking for a safe place to travel to, Atlanta Motor Speedway is opening its campgrounds to the hundreds of thousands of people evacuating their Florida homes. It’s providing dry camping, with no water or electricity hookups, free of charge in its Legends Premium Campground for RVs and Legends Tent Campground for pop-up campers and tents, Executive Vice President and General Manager Brandon Hutchison said in a news release.
“We have hundreds of acres of campgrounds and opening up our facility is an easy choice to make,” Hutchison said. “If you’re in Milton’s path and looking for a place to stay, we’re here for you.”
Located 30 miles south of Atlanta in Hampton, Georgia, the speedway is making campgrounds freely available to evacuees for RV and tents, providing access to shower facilities in collaboration with the Henry County Emergency Management Agency.
The campgrounds hosted evacuees during previous hurricanes including Irma in 2017, Florence in 2018 and Idalia last year, the speedway said.
Further complicating the evacuation process is demand for gasoline. The state of Florida is trying to keep gas stations supplied as people try to fill up before hitting the road. Others who decide to ride out the severe weather at home are also crowding the pumps, filling gas tanks to power their generators if they lose electricity for an extended period of time.
Tristan Wheelock/Bloomberg/Getty Images
Residents purchase fuel at a St. Petersburg, Florida, gas station ahead of Hurricane Milton's expected landfall on Monday, October 7.
“Lines at gas stations have been long,” DeSantis acknowledged Tuesday during a news conference. “Gas stations are running out quicker than they otherwise would.”
Gas price tracking service GasBuddy reported that as of Tuesday afternoon, 17.4% of gas stations statewide were without fuel, a dramatic spike from just 3% on Monday. The situation was far worse in areas facing mandatory evacuation orders. In Fort Myers, on the state’s Gulf Coast, 70% of stations were without gas as of Monday night.
To help combat those shortages, the state is distributing fuel from its own reserves, which include more than 100,000 gallons of gasoline. An additional 1.2 million gallons of gasoline and diesel are en route to the state, the governor said, noting the Florida Highway Patrol escorted 27 fuel trucks to deliver fuel to stations in the anticipated impact area of the storm.