Good morning. A fairly cloudy start with rain across the North And East but later it will brighten up in the Far North of the Country And North of the far south with a few showers but it will turn Colder for us all. All the details shortly. Its Wednesday 9th october. Millions of americans have been urged to evacuate parts of florida Ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Milton. It strengthened again overnight to become a category 5 Storm the highest rating and is expected to make landfall in the next 2a hours. Forecasters say milton has the potential to be One of the most destructive hurricanes ever recorded in the Region And President Joe Biden has described the situation in florida as a matter of Life And Death. Our reporter Steve Knibbs has more. Siren. An Evacuation Siren on the streets of Redington Shores in florida. Debris is still piled up after Storm Helene two weeks ago, and now people are being told they have to leave again. Mandatory Evacuation Orders are in place for nearly Six
Hello and welcome. Lets start in florida, which is bracing itself for what could be the worst storm in 100 years. They have been huge trafficjams across the state over the last 24 across the state over the last 2a Hours is more than 5 Million people respond to Evacuation Orders ahead of Hurricane Milton. We will be live on the ground in a moment. I can show you the pictures from space to give you an idea of the size of this monster storm. Officials think it could still double in size before it makes landfall. This is the live Tracking Shot we are seeing from the national hurricane center. The category four storm is due to hit tonight. It has already brushed past mexico where it caused large scale flooding. Lets show you pictures from the Florida Peninsula where there is relative calm but they are expecting Wind Speeds of 155 mph and 3 4 Metre Storm surges. I can speak to my Colleague Sumi Somaskanda in miami in florida. Take us through the preparations you are seeing and hearing about
Fort myers beach, in florida. You can see those high winds and heavy rains beginning to lash the coast there in fort myers. You can see how much the camera is shaking with the wind there, and obviously large waves warned of Storm Surges and rising water levels, as you can see coming up over the beach and onto the barriers, and beyond. This is from a short time ago in fort myers. You can see the before and after of water coming up over this hotel pool. Quite dramatic there. And just to show how dangerous this storm is, even with the storm still offshore, it is already causing damage. It has spawned several tornadoes which have been reported in the state, including in Areas that are seeing flooding. This is a home in fort myers that was hit by one of those tornadoes. You can see the roof is ripped off and the interior already destroyed, and the hurricane itself hasnt even arrived. These pictures from space give you a sense of the size of the monster storm. Its bringing winds of up to 120