Over 5 million residents urged to leave Florida ahead of Hurricane Milton

In the USA, ahead of Hurricane Milton, more than 5 million residents on Florida’s western coast were urged to leave the densely populated coastal area. US President Joe Biden called on Florida residents to heed the warnings, adding that the Category 5 storm could turn into the worst natural disaster to hit the state in a century. 

The President has also postponed planned visits to Germany and Angola later this week as Milton approaches Florida. Local media reported that more than 20 counties in the state issued mandatory and voluntary evacuation orders, and officials issued dire warnings to those



under evacuation orders.

Officials said the life-threatening storm will move across the eastern Gulf of Mexico and is likely to make landfall along the west coast of Florida on Wednesday night. The Florida Division of Emergency Management warned that the hurricane is feared to bring multiple weather hazards such as high winds, deadly storm surge, tornadoes, and heavy rain. The state is facing its largest-ever evacuation of emergency healthcare facilities due to Hurricane Milton. Airlines have cancelled hundreds of flights to and from Florida as the storm approaches.