Governor Ron DeSantis said resources have been deployed to the Central Florida area ahead of Hurricane Milton’s landfall, which is expected to cross over the state’s center later this week.
Those include flood protection systems to a hospital in Kissimmee, and truckloads of food and water to the Central Florida area for point of distribution sites.
The governor has also deployed emergency professionals and first responders to the region.
“More than 200 ambulances and more than 30 paratransits are in the Central Florida footprint, ready to support first responder operations. And as I previously noted, we've ramped up our support of debris removal,” said DeSantis.
Watch the governor's full press conference on preparing for Hurricane Milton here:
DeSantis has suspended all tolls in the Central Florida, West Central Florida and Alligator Alley area as of 10:30 a.m. Monday morning.
He recommended Central Floridians who are evacuating head to North Florida where the storm is expected to have fewer impacts.
“Well, I think that probably the easiest route would probably be to go north if you're in Central Florida, because the way the storm looks, it looks like it's going to have more of an impact on central and southern Florida. Most of these places in Tallahassee and northern Florida likely aren't going to see as significant impacts,” said DeSantis.
DeSantis said there have been no disruptions yet to gasoline operations and lines near the Tampa Bay area, but that Floridians should fill up their tanks, and make sure they have food and water for a few days ahead of the hurricane.
The hurricane has slowed down and is expected to make landfall now later on Wednesday or early Thursday morning.
If you are in Central Florida and need sand bags, click here for a list of distribution sites. A list of school closures in Central Florida is available here.
