Highways leading out of Florida are jammed for miles as residents evacuate the Sunshine State before Hurricane Milton lands this week.
Since Hurricane Milton was upgraded to a Category 5 storm, millions of residents have packed up their things to exit the state, only to be met with gridlock traffic.
Hillsborough County in the Tampa Bay Area has ordered evacuations among its residents.
Hillsborough County Fire Chief Jason Dougherty, while ordering residents to evacuate, gave an eerie warning, “If you remain there, you could die. My men and women could die trying to rescue you. They are heroes, but please do not put them in that situation. Help them by leaving zones A and B today.”
WATCH:
Please be advised that I-75 between Morris Bridge and Bruce B Downs is experiencing significant backups. I-275 northbound heading into Pasco County is also seeing heavy traffic, with significant slowdowns starting at 275 and Livingston Avenue.
We… pic.twitter.com/1KpLXXUK5h
— HCSO (@HCSOSheriff) October 7, 2024
#BREAKING
Thousands remain stranded in Florida as Hurricane Milton approaches. Evacuation orders have led to highway gridlock, and numerous gas stations have run out of fuel. pic.twitter.com/J4piBewNv7— .aspendos (@aspendos_1789) October 8, 2024
Per The New York Post:
Highways out of Florida are backed up for miles as panicked residents attempt to flee the state before Hurricane Milton’s landfall later this week.
Hurricane Milton stands at Category 5, the highest rating on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. It is expected to have winds stronger than 157 miles per hour.
In Hillsborough County, home to nearly 1.5 million people in the Tampa Bay area, residents are scrambling as local leadership orders the evacuation of zones A and B — essentially anyone living immediately on the coast or just outside.
“We’ve ordered evacuations for zones A and B for a very good reason,” Hillsborough County Fire Chief Jason Dougherty said during a press briefing in Tampa, as reported by the Florida Phoenix.
As residents evacuated from the state, many stores in the Tampa area were left barren.
LOOK:
Went inside this #Tampa Walmart. The produce and frozen food shelves are empty. An employee told us they put everything in trailers ahead of Hurricane #Milton so it wouldn’t go bad. She said they didn’t do that during Hurricane #Helene and ended up losing a lot, @nbc6. pic.twitter.com/GSD2ozvSkd
— Niko Clemmons (@NBCNiko) October 8, 2024
Fuel shortages have also been reported as residents are fleeing the Sunshine State.
CNN reported that over 1,000 fuel stations have run out of fuel.