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Project HOPE has positioned an Emergency Response Team in Florida in preparation for Hurricane Milton, which is expected to make landfall overnight and bring historically catastrophic conditions that create both urgent and long-term health and humanitarian needs in the region.
Key Updates
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While Hurricane Milton is expected to make landfall as a Category 3 or 4 storm, it has strengthened to a Category 5 twice since developing in the Gulf of Mexico.
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Project HOPE is partnering with SAMU First Response and our team on the ground is stocked with essential items and is coordinating with local officials and planning future distributions to health facilities, shelters, and affected communities.
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Milton is the third hurricane to impact the region this season, with leftover debris from Hurricane Helene expected to turn into dangerous projectiles.
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Disrupted access to health care and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) supplies is expected to increase the risk of infectious and waterborne diseases.
Situation Overview
Hurricane Milton is anticipated to make landfall on Florida’s western coastline near Sarasota as a Category 3 or 4 storm in the late hours of Wednesday, October 9 or the early hours of Thursday, October 10. Already, tropical storm force winds are impacting communities in central Florida, along with heavy rains and early reports of tornadoes touching down across central Florida and as far south as Miami. More than 50 counties are under states of emergency and over 5.5 million people were urged to evacuate from coastal areas. Additionally, more than 300 medical facilities have closed and evacuated patients, complicating access to care for those unable to evacuate.
As the storm approaches, coastal communities are already experiencing dangerous flooding and will continue to be inundated with forecasts predicting up to 15 feet of storm surge. The Tampa Bay area, which is still recovering from flooding as a result of Hurricane Helene, is anticipated to receive life-threatening storm surges between 8 and 12 feet. In addition, areas just a few miles inland will experience hurricane-force winds, up to 15 inches of rain, and potential flash floods, including DeSoto County, where Project HOPE responded to Hurricane Ian in 2022. Once Hurricane Milton crosses the Florida Peninsula into the Atlantic Ocean, communities along the eastern Florida and Georgia coastlines can expect potential storm surges of up to 4 feet.
The unique path of Milton could have catastrophic impacts in communities that face specific challenges during emergencies and disasters, including under-resourced communities where families may not have the resources to evacuate, agricultural areas with migrant populations, and mobile home communities. While Florida officials are undertaking the largest evacuation effort ever, shelters are beginning to fill up. Central Florida is a densely-populated region with a complex geography that increases the risk of storm surges and flooding. Emergency response organizations like Project HOPE are going to be critical to short-term and long-term recovery efforts.
In the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Milton, residents in shelters and community members unable to evacuate will likely require immediate assistance and will need to be connected with health care services and mental health support.