Roads, gas stations and hardware stores were packed on Monday as residents across the Tampa Bay region made hurricane preparations.
Chris Ansley has lived in Florida nearly three decades. He loaded plywood into the trunk of his car at a Home Depot on Bruce B. Downs Boulevard on Monday and admitted it's the first time he is boarding up his home.
"We just have a couple windows, and I needed to get a little plywood to cover that we've never covered them before, but this storm seems like it's headed right for us," he said.
Ansley said that while he lives farther inland, in Wesley Chapel, and isn't under a storm surge watch, he is worried about the hurricane-force winds. Hurricane Milton is expected to make landfall near the Tampa Bay region with at least Category 3 wind speeds, according to a National Weather Service briefing from Monday evening.
As of 7 p.m. on Monday, Hurricane Milton was nearly 675 miles southwest of the Tampa Bay with max wind speeds of 180 miles per hour. Milton rapidly intensified to a Category 5 hurricane while many Tampa Bay residents were making storm preparations.
Across the parking lot from Home Depot, Jack Maguire was making his fourth stop for gas. He said many gas stations near the University of South Florida had closed their pumps or had long lines.
"We're all kind of chaotically trying to find gas anywhere. This is the third stop that I've had to make..or maybe fourth. Everyone else was completely out, we're all just kind getting ready again just like we did a few weeks ago," he said.
Driving around Tampa on Monday, Maguire said it's evident that residents are taking the threat of Hurricane Milton seriously.
"We've always been prepared for hurricanes. But now, a second one after Helene — after being so devastating...in my opinion, this one's a little more uneasy."
As residents farther inland fortified their homes against the coming wind threat, many coastal residents in Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties are faced with mandatory evacuation orders. Although, not all residents are heeding them.
Find your evacuation zone here.
Deborah Steele lives on West Pearl Avenue in South Tampa. Her home was spared during Hurricane Helene. Ahead of Hurricane Milton, she's worried she won't be as lucky.
"This one scares me. I'm really scared this time. I wasn't scared with that one [Helene], but I'm scared now. I have three dogs. My son has a cat, and it's just a matter [of] where do you go?" Steele said.
She said that having lots of pets and personal medical needs are keeping her from evacuating early. She is also wary of facing traffic as Hurricane Milton has triggered massive evacuations across the greater Tampa Bay region. She said that she is taking the storm seriously, but she's not leaving her home.
"I think Helene was a wake up call," she said. "I'm not blowing it off, but I don't know where to go."
County emergency officials are clear that residents under mandatory evacuations orders should heed their warnings. If you're under an evacuation order, you must go to higher ground or father inland. You can also go to county emergency shelters. Some are pet friendly and offer accessibility for special or medical needs.
Many areas in the Tampa Bay region are under life-threatening storm surge of 10 to 15 feet above ground level, with the added threat of flash flooding. While highways are busy, the state has opened interstate shoulders to ease congestion.
