This Is Why the Death Toll from Hurricane Milton Could Be Absolutely Catastrophic

Hurricane Milton strengthens to Category 5 as it approaches Florida

By Michael Snyder

October 9, 2024

A 15-foot tall wall of water is about to slam directly into a major American city.  

More than 3 million people live in the Tampa Bay metropolitan area, and hundreds of thousands of them are very tightly concentrated along the coast.  

Most of them are attempting to evacuate, but there are apparently large numbers of local residents that are choosing not to do so.  

This is very foolish, because their homes are about to be underwater.

Sadly, many of those that are trying to evacuate are stuck in extremely long traffic jams.  Those who run low on gasoline as they sit in those traffic jams are discovering that a lot of gas stations are already totally out of fuel.  

In fact, as you will see below, CNN is reporting that 1,300 Florida gas stations have now run out of gasoline, and more gas stations are going dry with each passing hour.

Cars lined up at a gas station near Tampa, Florida, a day before Hurricane Milton was expected to hit the area. The system is threatening the densely populated Tampa Bay area and is menacing the same stretch of coastline battered by Helene.

Whether willingly or unwillingly, vast numbers of people are going to end up stuck in this storm, and the death toll is likely to be extremely high.

According to the National Weather Service, it appears that this will be “the worst storm to impact the Tampa area in over 100 years”…

"Time Is Running Out" To Evacuate As Hurricane Milton Barrels Towards Florida's Gulf Coast

100 years ago, not that many people lived in that part of Florida.

Today, more than 3 million people live in the Tampa Bay metropolitan area.

Early on Tuesday, Milton had been downgraded to a Category 4 storm, but then it strengthened again and sustained winds were back up to 155 mph…

Hurricane Milton strengthens to Category 5 as it approaches Florida

As I write this article, sustained winds are back up to 165 miles per hour, and that officially makes Milton a Category 5 storm once again.

This is a very, very unusual storm.

According to one meteorologist, Milton actually produced “more than 58,000 lightning events in just 14 hours”…

We have never seen anything quite like this before.

Of course, the most dangerous aspect of this storm for those living directly along the coast will be the storm surge.

It is being projected that a 15-foot wall of water will hit Tampa like a sledgehammer, and the mayor of Tampa is warning that those who choose to stay “are going to die”…

Tampa mayor issues dire warning before Hurricane Milton: ‘If you choose to stay … you are going to die’

A Weather Channel host named Jen Carfagno used CGI to try to show her viewers what a 15-foot storm surge will look like…

Most of the Tampa Bay area is just barely above sea level.

So there will be very little resistance as a 15-foot tall wall of water starts smashing everything in sight.

Thankfully, large numbers of people have decided to evacuate, but this is also creating traffic jams of epic proportions…

Hurricane Milton forces over 1 million to evacuate in Florida, gas shortages reported

Final preparations are underway in Florida as Hurricane Milton approaches as a monstrous storm. Officials warn debris from Helene could become flying projectiles, adding to the danger.

Those that didn’t fill up their vehicles ahead of time could be in very deep trouble, because 1,500 Florida gas stations are already completely out of fuel…

Nearly 1,500 Florida gas stations have run out of fuel. Hurricane Milton could cause even more trouble

Pumps are closed at a gas station in Fort Myers Beach, Florida on Monday. About 11% of gas stations in Florida are without gas ahead of Hurricane Milton's arrival in the state. AP

There will be many that won’t be able to make it out in time due to this gasoline shortage.

Meanwhile, those who do make it out are discovering that many hotels in northern Florida and Georgia are charging ridiculously high rates…

'Despicable' hotels in Florida and Georgia raise prices from $95 to $700-a-NIGHT as desperate Hurricane Milton evacuees flee

It is morally wrong for hotels to be gouging customers like this during a major life-threatening crisis.

Those who have decided to jack up their rates should be ashamed of themselves.

Unfortunately, there are also large numbers of people in central Florida that have decided not to evacuate at all…

Some of those that have chosen to stay will find a way to survive.

Others will not.

In the end, this is likely to be one of the most destructive storms in U.S. history.

According to CNBC, it is being projected that approximately 175 billion dollars of damage will be caused in a “worst-case scenario”…

As I keep reminding my readers, we set an all-time record for “billion dollar disasters” last year. This year, I think that we will set another new all-time record.

We live at a time when historic disasters just keep happening one after another, and what is ahead is going to be even worse.

This is our “new normal”, and it isn’t going to be pleasant at all.

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