The Point

The Point, Oct. 9, 2024: Milton tracks south, closes in on Florida's west coast

WUFT | By WUFT News

Published October 9, 2024 at 8:00 AM EDT

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Hurricane Milton

For ongoing live coverage of Hurricane Milton from WUFT’s Florida Public Radio Emergency Network (FPREN), tune to 89.1 FM in the Gainesville-Ocala region and 90.1 FM in the Nature Coast area. WUFT’s coverage includes FPREN meteorologists, public safety and emergency management officials and journalists from our Innovation News Center. It will be available before, during and following Milton’s landfall and track across Florida. You can listen on your radio or atop any page on our website, WUFT.org.

• WUFT News: Hurricane Milton live updates. Stay informed on Hurricane Milton with hourly updates from WUFT News.

Debris removed from homes damaged by Hurricane Helene is seen Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024, piled along Coffee Pot Boulevard Northeast in St. Petersburg, Fla., in the hours before Hurricane Milton was expected to hit the area. Florida was rushing to remove the debris before Hurricane Milton’s strong winds could blow it away or its storm surges could wash it away. The pace of the cleanup was agonizingly slow, and time was running out. (Brandon Meyer/Fresh Take Florida).

• Fresh Take Florida: Hurricane can turn debris into projectiles: Inside Florida's urgent rush to remove trash from last storm. "All along Florida’s Gulf Coast, governments were rushing to remove the debris from the last storm before Hurricane Milton’s strong winds blew it away or its storm surges washed it away. The pace of the cleanup was agonizingly slow, and time was running out."

• Florida Storms: Tue. 11 p.m. update: Milton's track shifts south; what does this mean? "The eyewall replacements have caused the shift in the track. Therefore, Milton is now expected to land south of the Tampa Bay area, which could mean a direct hit for the Sarasota, Bradenton region."

• News Service of Florida: Fuel supplies key amid Milton evacuations. "With the powerful Milton expected to make landfall on the state’s Gulf Coast late Wednesday or early Thursday, officials Tuesday morning did not estimate the number of people who had already taken to the road. But Gov. Ron DeSantis advised people to anticipate lines at gas stations and slow speeds on highways."

• Mainstreet Daily News: North Florida shelters open in preparation for Hurricane Milton. "Multiple shelters are now open throughout North Florida for people evacuating ahead of Hurricane Milton, which is forecasted to make landfall on Wednesday evening along the west coast of Florida. Below are county-by-county emergency shelters that are available."

• WLRN-Miami: U-Haul offers disaster relief across Florida ahead of Hurricane Milton. "U-Haul, the moving and storage company, is offering Floridians 30 days of free storage services. The disaster relief program is meant to help residents prepare for Hurricane Milton and support recovery efforts from Hurricane Helene."

• WFTS-Tampa Bay: 'No bureaucracy, no more red tape, no more excuses': Governor orders county landfills to open for storm debris. "Last week, Pinellas County leaders repeatedly told the I-Team its dump could not handle all of the storm debris — and they could not verify where the debris was coming from, before they shut down the site to storm debris on Tuesday, Oct. 1."

• WFLA-Tampa: ‘You are going to die’: Tampa mayor issues grave warning about ignoring Milton evacuation orders. "She went on to explain that she’s never given that warning before but given the unprecedented circumstances of Milton and the threat of a direct hit to the Tampa Bay area, the warning could save residents’ lives who are on the fence about staying or leaving."

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Other Florida stories

• WUFT News: Judge rules against removing Alachua County single-member district measure from ballot. "The ballot measure, proposed by the Alachua County Board of County Commissioners in April, seeks to return Alachua County’s voting system to at-large elections, reversing the 2022 voter-approved transition to single-member districts."

Members of Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine and Students for Justice in Palestine gather on the steps of Tigert Hall on Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, the first anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel. (Delia Rose Sauer/WUFT News)

• WUFT News: Protests on UF campus unite and divide students and faculty one year after Oct. 7 attack on Israel. "A crowd of around 30 protestors began a march from Turlington Plaza to Tigert Hall, demanding an end to the Israel-Hamas conflict. The protest began at noon Monday and called for students and faculty to walk out of classes to show solidarity for the Palestinian people."

• WUFT News: ‘We’ve been humbled’: Four generations living on one plot survive Hurricane Helene. "'I didn’t expect this to happen,' she said Sunday, still reeling from the destruction and flooding Hurricane Helene brought to Florida’s Big Bend and four other states. Blinstrup quickly thought of her two daughters, three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, all of whom lived in the small homes besides hers, just a seven minute drive from the coastline."

• WUFT News: Photo story: Hurricane Helene destroyed a man's home in Steinhatchee. "Chris Lasiter, 32, stands inside his Steinhatchee, Fla., home Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, after it was destroyed by the storm surge caused by Hurricane Helene in September. 'The storms are getting worse. I mean, there is just no denying it. This has never happened,' Lasiter said."

• Mainstreet Daily News: Groups to hold soil collection ceremony for lynching victim. "The Alachua County Community Remembrance Project (ACCRP) will host a Soil Collection Ceremony as part of its ongoing efforts toward Truth and Reconciliation surrounding the history of racial terrorism and lynchings in Alachua County during the Jim Crow era."

• The Alligator: A lesson in resilience: UF professor reflects on his experience in Ukraine. "Community service is fundamental to the 41-year-old UF assistant professor of medicine. The day before 9/11, Jones was worried about applying to colleges. After the planes hit the Twin Towers, half of his high school class joined the military. He knew he had to do something to help, but he felt the military wouldn’t be his best option. He decided to dedicate his life to community service."

• FIU Caplin News: Campaign to legalize marijuana in Florida is mostly bankrolled by one company. "Trulieve, a major medical cannabis distributor, has contributed more than $92 million to the Smart & Safe Florida political committee, which is pushing for passage of Amendment 3 in November."

• WLRN-Miami: NOAA announces plans to spend $15.3 million for a national climate forecasting service. "The new service — not unlike the National Weather Service — will be aimed at providing more specific projections to help planners and emergency managers. The hope is that will allow local officials to prepare so that risks like the devastating flooding that followed Hurricane Helene can be avoided or at least lessened."

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Kristin Moorehead curated today's edition of The Point.