Waiting for Milton to make landfall
Oakland, California - Millions of Floridians and visitors are on pins and needles awaiting Hurricane Milton's landfall. The potentially catastrophic storm could be a huge disaster for the Sunshine State, but only time will tell.
Evacuees and those in Milton's way across Florida wait as the storm approaches.
G. Gregg Murray, Senior Pastor at St. Petersburg's Mt. Zion Primitive Baptist Church, is in an east coast Florida hotel. "A lot of frustration, a lot of mental anguish, a lot of uncertainty. We just recovered from Hurricane Helene. So, as a pastor, it concerns me a lot about the congregation, even the church facility. All of that is in danger," said Pastor Murray.
Former San Rafael resident William Heckler now lives in Seminole, just across the Intercoastal Waterway from Treasure Island beach. He was on his way back from the Hurricane Helene evacuation but had to stop again in Orlando to wait Milton out. "You just have to prepare for these things. It sucks. But, like any natural disaster you have to keep in the back of your head some kind of common sense. Obviously, it's not prudent to return back to Pinellas County," said Heckler.
The logo of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is seen at its headquartersin Washington, DC. AFP PHOTO/Mandel NGAN (Photo credit should read MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
Biana Crowe is an hour east of Tampa, in Lakeland, also in Milton's crosshairs. "My friends in that are in Auburn which is a town over have already had two tornado warnings and we don't have any here yet. That's pretty much what I'm most concerned with," said Crowe.
She has a vacation home on Maria Island, Anna Maria Island also in Milton's crosshairs an outer island which was just ravaged by Hurricane Helene.
"So, everyone's furniture is on the side of the road and now Milton's coming and our furniture is gonna be literally floating in the road. I can't even comprehend how dangerous it will be," said Crowe.
Retired Menlo Park Fire Chief and legendary search and rescue pioneer Howard Schapelhouman is always worried about working with local first responders who have a personal stake in the disaster. "They were degraded because they were the local guys and their own homes were being impacted, theIr own families were impacted, So, we shed a lot of the teams and realized very quickly that was not a good model," said Chief Schapelhouman. "Let's get into a spirit of rebuilding, not only our property. but also our lives," said Pastor Murray.
We hope to talk to these folks after the storm.
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Video: Florida traffic camera captured tornado as Hurricane Milton impacts state
A live camera from the Florida Department of Transportation spotted a confirmed tornado on the ground Wednesday morning in South Florida as Hurricane Milton barrels toward the state.