When and where will Hurricane Milton make landfall?
Hurricane Milton is set to make landfall Wednesday on the West Coast of Florida. Current projections have Milton headed for the Tampa Bay area, which would make it the first storm to make landfall there in around a century. As of Tuesday morning, Milton is 560 miles southwest of Tampa, according to Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Milton intensified from tropical storm status Saturday to hurricane status by Sunday afternoon. By Monday afternoon, it had intensified to a Category 5 storm, but dropped back to Category 4 Tuesday morning.
Mass evacuations are underway in Southwest Florida, with heavy traffic on Interstate 75 headed north.
“As of this morning, Hurricane Milton is still a major Category 4 hurricane. While some weakening is possible before landfall, we expect Milton to be a strong and extremely dangerous storm,” DeSantis said in a post on X.
How hard will Gainesville get hit?
The county declared a local state of emergency Oct. 6. The county is also currently under a tropical storm warning. It is anticipated north Gainesville will receive winds between 58 to 73 mph, and south Gainesville to receive winds between 39 to 57 mph.
Jen Grice, emergency management director for Alachua County, said residents can expect between 4 to 8 inches of rain. The county also expects major flooding in Gainesville.
Am I in an evacuation zone? A flood zone?
Alachua County advises to avoid I-75 due to traffic from evacuations out of Central and South Florida. As of Tuesday at 9 a.m., Gainesville is under a flash flood watch.
Emergency Shoulder Use is activated for evacuation, and highway tolls are suspended in Central and West Florida.
When emergency shoulders are operational, everyone except large trucks, buses and trailers may use the left or inside shoulder on six-lane roadways and the right or outside shoulder on four-lane roadways at designated locations where law enforcement officials and signage are posted. Drivers must slow down and drive carefully in these areas to avoid swerving into dangerous obstacles like bridges, overpasses, guardrails and barrier walls.
UF Southwest Recreation Center will open Wednesday at 1 p.m. as a shelter for students, faculty, staff and their families. The shelter will provide food but not bedding. Those staying at the shelter should bring bedding, cell phones, chargers, entertainment and prescription medications, the university wrote in an email.
Shelters are anticipated to open later today in Alachua County. There will be two general population shelters, a pet friendly shelter and a special medical needs shelter. The county is providing Uber vouchers that citizens can use for Uber rides to the shelters.
The state’s Department of Children and Families is preparing to staff emergency evacuation shelters.
Flood Zones:
Gainesville is located within flood zones A and AE, which are at high risk of inundation. The city’s low-lying areas near lakes, creeks and ponds are historically vulnerable to flooding during heavy rainfall.
The city advises not to go into floodwater. Floods can be reported with photos to the city’s flood observer form or by calling 352-334-5070.
What supplies do I need?
The City of Gainesville website recommends that residents fill all needed prescriptions and advises them to stock up on nonperishable foods, flashlights, batteries and water. Before the storm, cars should be filled with gas to ensure the ability to evacuate in an emergency.
The website also encourages residents to visit ready.gov for a list of additional supplies they should prepare. In addition to the supplies listed on the City of Gainesville website, the Ready campaign listed radios, first aid kits, whistles, dust masks, plastic sheeting, scissors, duct tape, moist towelettes, garbage bags, plastic ties, tools, manual can openers and local maps as items that should be included in a hurricane preparedness kit.
What are Gainesville and Alachua County doing to prepare?
Sandbags:
In a news release Tuesday, Alachua County announced its sandbag distribution locations:
- Memorial Park (17380 NW US HWY 441)
- The Gainesville Public Works Administration building (405 NW 39th Ave)
- Citizens Field (1000 NE Waldo Rd.)
- Micanopy Town Hall (706 NE Cholokka Blvd.)
- City of Hawthorne (3016 SE 65th Lane)
- The City of Archer Public Works building (17156 SW Archer Rd.).
Sandbags will be given out until 5 p.m. with a limit of 10 bags per vehicle.
Tarps:
The Alachua County Rural Collection Center in Archer will distribute tarps at 19401 Southwest Archer Road. The county’s Household Hazardous Waste Collection Center will also distribute tarps at 5125 NE 63 Ave.
Is school canceled?
UF
UF campus will be closed this Wednesday, Oct. 9, and Thursday, Oct. 10, due to Hurricane Milton, the university announced in a press release. All academic and student-related activities will be suspended, including online classes and exams.
This interferes with the Fall 2024 Student Government elections. Polls remain open Tuesday from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. However, the second day of elections has been rescheduled to Oct. 14.
Florida Fresh Dining announced Gator Corner and The Eatery at Broward Hall will have altered hours due to Milton. On Wednesday, these halls will be open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday hours will be 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. The Graham and Rawlings markets will also be open Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Reitz Union market, Starbucks and Panda Express will be open Thursday from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. UF plans to return to normal hours on Friday.
At this time, UF has not announced plans to evacuate on-campus residents and recommends that those who live in residence halls should plan to shelter in place. Those who live off campus should follow local and state guidance for preparing for a tropical storm or hurricane, UF said in a press release.
UF Health hospitals and clinical practices are continuing normal operations, according to the press release. More information on UF Health closures can be found here.
Sante Fe College
Santa Fe College is closed Wednesday and Thursday because of Hurricane Milton, according to a statement from Santa Fe President Paul Broadie II.
All official updates from the college will be posted on the SF Alerts website.
“I strongly encourage you to make preparations in advance of the storm,” Broadie wrote. “Our area will receive strong tropical storm winds and torrential downpours with 4-8 inches of rain or more falling within a 24-hour period.”
He wrote that people should follow all official updates from the National Hurricane Center, have a supply of non-perishable food and water available and top off their vehicle’s gas tank.
Santa Fe’s next update on the hurricane will be Tuesday at 5 p.m.
ACPS
Alachua County Public Schools, district offices and extracurricular activities will be closed on Wednesday and Thursday, ACPS Spokesperson Jackie Johnson wrote in an email.
Schools will remain open on Tuesday, including the Extended Day Enrichment Program and extracurricular activities.
ACPS plans to reopen on Friday, but it’s dependent on school conditions following Milton’s damage, Johnson wrote.
ACPS also plans to use three flex days available on the district calendar to make up for lost instructional time. Those dates will be Dec. 20, Jan. 6, and Feb. 14.
Families with special needs children or other family members who may need shelter or transportation can register with Alachua County’s special needs registry.
Are buses still running?
Gainesville’s Regional Transit System remains fully operational despite Hurricane Milton, according to an alert sent out Tuesday.
RTS bus services will automatically suspend and cancel services in Gainesville if wind speeds reach above 35 mph.
With the hurricane hurtling toward Florida’s gulf coast, Eastern Alachua County is predicted to see gusts of up to 40 mph late Wednesday night, according to the National Weather Service.
For the most up-to-date information on RTS services, residents can go to GNVriderts.app, riderts.app, RTS’ website or Facebook for any updates on suspension of services.
This is an Alligator Staff Report.
