Hurricane Milton's impending arrival turns Tropicana Field into base camp for Florida workers

Tropicana Field has become accustomed to hosting playoff games since Kevin Cash took over as manager of the Tampa Bay Rays, but over the next few days the stadium will serve as a base camp to support the Florida Department of Emergency Management before Hurricane Milton. .

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis ordered Florida teams sent to North Carolina to help the state recover from the aftermath of Hurricane Helene and return to Florida to prepare for Milton's arrival, which is shaking the Gulf of Mexico as a dangerous Category 5 storm.

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Tropicana Field opens a staging site for workers and operations ahead of Hurricane Milton's arrival in St. Petersburg, Florida, October 7, 2024. (Reuters/Octavio Jones.)

Florida emergency officials issued evacuation orders for most of the state's west coast in anticipation of Milton. Many of these same regions were still trying to move away from Helene.

“Time is of the essence,” DeSantis said Tuesday via USA Today. “There is no guarantee of what the weather will be like starting Wednesday morning… You may have a window where it can be safe, but that may not be the case. So take advantage of “Today is the day to finalize and execute the plan that will protect.” you and your family.”

Milton is expected to bring life-threatening storm surge, damaging winds and torrential rain, according to Fox Weather. Forecasters warned of a possible storm surge of 10 to 15 feet in Tampa Bay. This is the strongest wave ever forecast for this area and has prompted evacuation orders for communities up and down the coast.

HURRICANE MILTON: PROTECT YOUR HOME FROM LOOTTING WITH THESE 4 STEPS

Cots seen at Tropicana Field before the arrival of Hurricane Milton, in St. Petersburg, Florida, October 7, 2024. (Reuters/Octavio Jones)

The storm could also cause widespread flooding, with five to a foot of rain expected across the Florida peninsula, and even up to 18 inches in some places.

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor has issued a dire warning to those who choose to stay in mandatory evacuation zones as Hurricane Milton heads toward Florida.

“Helene was a wake-up call, it’s literally catastrophic,” Castor told CNN. “If you choose to stay in one of these evacuation zones, you will die.”

Before the Atlantic hurricane season began, forecasters were saying it was shaping up to be a monstrously busy year, and it started that way when Beryl was the first storm to reach Category 5 on record. Then, nothing.

Members of the Florida National Guard check on remaining residents at nearly deserted Bradenton Beach, where piles of debris from Hurricane Helene's flooding still lie outside damaged homes before the arrival of the Hurricane Milton on Tuesday October 8, 2024 over Anna Maria. Island, Florida. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

A sign on a closed Waffle House on US Highway 19 in preparation for Hurricane Milton on Tuesday, October 8, 2024 in New Port Richey, Florida. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson)

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From Aug. 20 — the traditional start of peak hurricane season — to Sept. 23, it was record calm, Phil Klotzbach, a hurricane researcher at Colorado State University, told the Associated Press.

Fox News Pilar Arias and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

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