Because it comes about this time every day, 11 00 a. M. Eastern, we get an update from the national Hurricane Center. And well wait to see what they say about the massive Hurricane Milton that caused 6 Million people to evacuate in its path in the state of florida. The life threatening storm is now moving toward floridas Gulf Coast. Forecasters say it will slam into that peninsula. Late tonight or into the early hours of tomorrow. What they are looking at is exactly where it will hit. They arent saying it is not going to hit. Some forecasters are saying is Storm Surge could be higher than what it was in Hurricane Katrina which left more than 1,300 people dead. The evacuations, though, this time are the benefit of what we learned, we pray, from katrina. So many people moving out of the way. Not everybody, but most. Im Harris Faulkner and you are in the Faulkner Focus. This huge storm could be one of the largest weve seen in terms of a hurricane. Forecasters are saying Miltons Wind Field will double by the time it hits floridas Gulf Coast. Evacuation orders have been issued, as i mentioned, all around including the Tampa Area before the hurricanes devastating winds bring what they are expecting to be 15 feet of Storm Surge. The Fema Administrator has a warning. This storm is going to be like nothing they have seen before. While you can ride out a Storm And Hide from the wind, you need to move away from the water. They just need to move out of the Evacuation Zone Area to a place safe from the Storm Surge. I believe there is still time in some areas. Listen to your local officials. They will tell you what you still have time to do. Harris people have been boarding up businesses and homes throughout the region pretty much for the last 48 hours. Parts of the Gulf Coast are starting to feel the outer bands of milton. Wind lashing rains, flooding already affecting some cities and towns. Florida governor Ron Desantis just this hour. We are bracing and are prepared to receive a major hit. The National Guard is deploying 6,000 florida National Guardsmen as well as 3,000 National Guardsmen from other states. This is the largest florida national Guard Search and Rescue Mobilization in the entire history of the state of florida. While there is the hope that it will weaken more before landfall, there is high confidence that this hurricane is going to pack a major, major punch and do an awful lot of damage. Harris nasa put out the stunning time lapse from space. Thats not a movie capture, thats real. Thats milton. And its target right now is florida. Senior Meteorologist Janice Dean is in our fox weather center. Janice. We did get the 11 00 a. M. Advisories. Winds have gone down a little bit. We were anticipating that. You Cant Look at the category. The category means the winds. We dont have categories for Storm Surge. Sometimes i think we should. The Storm Surge will be catastrophic, historic. We set records with helene Storm Surge just two weeks ago. This in some cases will be double that. I also want to make mention that within the latest advisory theyre talking about Tornado Super cells. This is another story we have to follow in the next 12 to 18 to 24 hours is the potential for tornadoes. You have got the propertation from the counter clockwise motion and that is causing friction with the land. So yes, well see Tornado Damage in some of these heavy populated areas. By the way, thats on the east coast of florida. So this is going to be a brig concern. Tornado watch until 9 00 p. M. One of the risks. We talk about the Storm Surge. That will be imminent along the West Coast of florida. Heavily populated neighborhoods. Millions of folks live here from tampa to Fort Myers. We dont know the exact location where the strongest winds will come ashore. That will be key as to who gets the worst Storm Surge. South of the core of the strongest winds. North of the core of the strongest winds will be the heavy rainfall. A foot to 14, 15 inches. No matter how you slice it, it is going to be a very big event. One that will cause probably damage like theyve never seen along the West Coast of florida. Already seeing Wind Gusts in excess of 40 milesperhour for key west. As you mentioned the storm will weaken but also going to grow larger. Thats what happens. Its interacting with a cold front. It is what happened with sandy a few years ago in the northeast, right . It interacted with a cold front and became extra tropical and got bigger and affected a wide area of real estate. Thats what will happen with this storm. Landfall we think sometime overnight tonight anywhere between tampa and sarasota, Fort Myers you arent out of this, either. Anywhere along the vulnerable coastlines where the mound of water is just going to be pushed into the bays, inlets, we could see 12 to 15 feet depending where that center comes ashore. That will be devastating for this area of the cup can country. The shelf is so shallow. It is like a ramp for this water. Harris it could be worse than katrina is what my team is reading. It is because of how low the shelf is there. Yes harris and how different this could be and how much that we are seeing thats new. It is going to change the coastline. There is no doubt about that. It will. It is going to impact someone and thats why we have the evacuations in place. You dont have a lot of time now and you are going to wait out the storm, you need to pray. Harris well, janice, we appreciate the update especially bringing us with the national Hurricane Center said. So it has gone down from a 5. We are still at a 4. The warning loud and clear. Not that much difference. Dont focus on the category. Harris well bring you back as news warrants. Of course. Harris roads and highways throughout florida are packed. People are trying to get out of miltons path. Right now about 60 of Gas Stations in the tampa, st. Petersburg area are out of fuel already. People are preparing for whatever comes ahead of the Storms Life threatening Storm Surge. The rain, the flooding already begun in some areas and will only strengthen throughout the day. Officials have told hundreds of thousands of people they must evacuate their homes and urged millions of others to do the same. Many in the area are terrified. We recently just got through helene in st. Petersburg. Were very scared about what will happen with our homes. I have been 38 or nine years and we went through it two or three times and im getting too old to stay there. This time well get hit. Really scary. It is not scare now but scary about what well find when we go back. Harris Mike Seydel is in florida. Good morning. Another thing they updated at the 11 00 a. M. Advisory theyve taken a bit off the top in the Tampa Bay area. Dont focus on a Couple Feet less. They are saying eight to 12 in Tampa Bay, a record. Clear Water Beach at 8. 6. Anna Marie Island theyve increased it from ten to 15 feet. On the beach decimated by Helene The Surf is starting to come up and a long way to go. How much Sand Theyve lost because of helene. Harris, back to you. Harris we want to bring you back quickly. We can look at the national Hurricane Center briefing in motion. Lets watch it together. Eight to 12 feet including the Tampa Bay region. South of that area down to Bonita Beach and sanibel island. Charlotte harbor eight to ten. Storm Surge Warning in effect for the entire West Coast of florida from Yankeetown All The Way to flamingo. Evacuation zones in that region Pleases Cape now while you still can. You have a little bit of time left before the water starts to rise later today. I want to note on the east coast of florida from sebastian and Southern Georgia we have a Storm Surge warning in effect including portions of the st. Johns river. As much as three to five feet above Ground Level for when milton exits tomorrow. Why you want to get out of the Storm SurgeEvacuation Zones. What will you see when the devastating push of water comes in off the gulf onto the West Coast of florida . You will see large areas with deep water due to Storm Surge flooding. Ten to 15 feet above Ground Level in some places, structural damage to buildings. Some buildings washed away by damaging wave action. Locations may be uninhabitable for an extended period. Roads washed out or flooded and major damage to coastal infrastructure in those areas. The wind threat. Milton now category 4 hurricane expected to be a major hurricane when it reaches the West Coast of florida this evening and maintain Hurricane Status across the Florida Peninsula out into the Western Atlantic during the day on thursday. Everything in red is a hurricane warning. Fort myers through port charlotte, tampa, st. Petersburg to ocala, orlando, Melbourne And St. August in. We expect the category 3 winds in the high wall significant structural damage. Large trees will be snapped and uprooted. Widespread power outages. Roads will be impassable from large debris and well see Hurricane Force winds again along the Ifour Corridor Wind gusts leading to significant power outages, Wind Damage in the area as well. Lets move to the flooding threat. Substantial as well from rainfall now along and north of the track of Miltons Center which now appears to be focused on the Ifour Corridor. Expecting 6 to 12 inches of rain, isolated rainfall amounts as high as 18 inches leading to widespread life threatening catastrophic flooding in this region. This area highlighted in pink from today into thursday. Thats where well have widespread potentially life threatening flooding along the Ifour Corridor with the substantial Risk North and south of that area as well depending where the heaviest rains fall. When we get up to north of 15 inches of Rain Impacts are flooding to homes and businesses, rescue being conducted. Flooding in places that dont normally flood and again roads will be closed and eroded creating hidden dangers that will not make it safe to be out and about. The message this afternoon again i want to touch on the Tornado Threat as well that i mentioned at the beginning is expanding and quite significant across much of south and Central Florida. Especially in this region from orlando down to the lake the tornadoes and small thoerndz are advancing north out ahead of Miltons Landfall creating dangerous conditions across portions of the Florida Peninsula. If you are in these areas, you want to make sure you have multiple ways to get weather alerts, Flash Flood warnings and tornado warnings. Have wireless emergency alerts turned onto your smartphone. Battery Power Radio and be alerted when you might be asleep to dangerous conditions in your area. Lets Wrap Up with the final points here on Hurricane Milton. Expect a large area of destructive Storm Surge exceeding 10 feet along portions of the west Central Coast of the Florida Peninsula. If you are in that area its a life threatening situation. Evacuate. You have time to get out and save your life. Devastating Hurricane Force winds portions of the West Coast of florida and across the Florida Peninsula along and near the track of Miltons Center again life threatening Hurricane Force winds in gusts in places like orlando all the way to the east coast of florida. Preparations to protect Life And Property should be rushed to completion and finally the heavy Rainfall Risk with potential for life threatening and catastrophic flash and urban flooding across portions of Central Florida with a risk of longterm major River Flooding as well. Please stay with us here. Harris we wanted to get the details before we bring on the Lieutenant Governor of florida, jeanette nunes. It is great to have her to put everything in perspective. First of all, how many people would you say percentagewise have gotten out of the way . Are you feeling good about how many people have moved out of the way . Weve been coordinating with local Law Enforcement and Emergency Managers to make sure that that message has been delivered. I have think given what we saw with Hurricane Helene, i think people really have heeded the warnings to evacuate. Were really pleased that folks have close en to do that. For those still in their homes deciding whether or not the leave, we stress the time to leave is now. Unfortunately there will come a point in time. Tornado, rainfall. You wont be able to evacuate at that point. Rescue and Law Enforcement cant get to you. The time to do that is right now. Harris Lieutenant Governor were getting word now that there has been a touchdown of a tornado this morning. That happened in the miamidade Metro Area in sun rise, florida. We know there is a Tornado SuperCell Risk with all of this. Along i75 west of sunrise, florida, a twister confirmed. Indeed, which is why the governor in his Executive Order included 51 counties because we knew this storm was so massive it has the potential to have catastrophic not just the areas it will impact along the gulf and west side but even on the East Side where as you mentioned were seeing tornado activity. You will see conditions deteriorate. Wind and potential tornadoes. Stay home and stay safe and monitor very closely. They can get all that information the flsert. Harris im writing that down. As you move toward this there are so many people still hurting from Hurricane Helene. Your state took it first. Talk to me a little bit about that. Yeah, the governor just does a tremendous job under his leadership to make sure everything was ready prestorm and as we got into the business of recovery. We had cut and toss crews and linemen available for Power Restoration and made sure