Hurricane Milton threatens to wreak more havoc in Florida after Helene

Floridians have been told to prepare for the US state’s biggest evacuation effort in years as a new storm heads toward the Gulf Coast, which is still reeling from another historic storm.

Hurricane Milton, off the coast of Mexico, The storm could also threaten people’s lives if it reaches the west coast of the province by the middle of the week, said the National Hurricane Center (NHC).

It comes just 10 days after Storm Helene – the deadliest hurricane since Katrina in 2005 – tore through the southeastern United States, killing at least 225 people. Hundreds more are still missing.

At least 14 of those deaths are in Florida, where 51 of 67 counties are now under emergency warnings as Milton approaches.

Milton strengthened from a tropical storm to a Category 3 hurricane and by Monday morning was maintaining sustained winds of about 125 mph (205 km/h), the NHC said.

It is expected to strengthen further, becoming a major hurricane, before making landfall in Tampa Bay on Wednesday.

Milton is then forecast to continue to track northeast, crossing the Florida peninsula as it heads toward the Atlantic Ocean.

On its journey, it is expected to advance to a Category 4 hurricane. The NHC has warned of damaging storm surge, heavy rain causing flooding, and storm surge caused by rising water moving inland from the Gulf Coast.

Rainfall totals could reach heights of 15in (38cm), and coastal areas could see storm surges of 5-10 feet (1.5-3.5m).

Floridians on Sunday began preparing for the storm. In the south of the region, residents started filling sandbags at many distribution points. Lines of cars wait at the gas station pumps.

The NHC’s dire warnings have been matched by state officials.

Floridians were told by the head of the state’s emergency department, Kevin Guthrie, to prepare for “the biggest evacuation we’ve seen since 2017, Hurricane Irma”. Dozens of people were killed by Irma that year.

Governor Ron DeSantis, who issued 51 state emergency warnings, said preparations are underway to restore power and clear roads, but people should expect major disruptions when Milton hits.

He urged Floridians to have a “preparedness plan”, warning of both mandatory and voluntary evacuations. He could not foresee “any situation where we don’t have a big impact”, he explained.

More evacuations are expected in Pinellas County, where at least a dozen people were killed by Helene.

The approach of the new storm comes as the US government warns that cleanup efforts could take years after Hurricane Helene.

Hundreds of roads in the affected areas remain closed, hampering efforts to send aid to hard-hit communities.

It struck in late September as a category four storm – damaging buildings, causing flooding and knocking out power to millions of homes.

As well as Florida, deaths were recorded in Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia – as well as the hardest-hit state, North Carolina.

President Joe Biden has ordered an additional 500 troops to be sent to North Carolina. The soldiers – now about 1,500 in total – will work with thousands of government aid workers and the National Guard.

Biden has so far approved almost $140m (£107m) in government aid. The use of this money has become the subject of lies by Donald Trump, who is running for the Republicans in the presidential election next month, who said that the money to help immigrants was used.

Trump has been accused of making “dangerous” lies by the head of America’s disaster relief agency.