Florida is preparing for its largest evacuation in years amid fears of the biggest storm surge in a century as the state continues to clean up after Hurricane Helene

Florida is preparing for its largest evacuation in seven years amid fears Hurricane Milton will unleash the largest storm surge in a century, while the state is already busy cleaning up from Hurricane Helene.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has declared a state of emergency for 51 of the state's 67 counties as officials across the state urge people to evacuate before Milton reaches landfall around 5 p.m. on Wednesday.

“Just go now. Avoid the traffic and just move to higher ground now,” Tampa Mayor Jane Castor told CNN of her message to residents.

Other county and city officials are ordering evacuations, and Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody said at a news conference Sunday that residents who choose to ignore evacuation orders should take steps to help authorities identify who they are. in case they die in the storm.

“You'll probably have to write your name on your arm with a permanent marker so people know who you are later,” she said bluntly.

Hurricane Milton formed in the Gulf late Sunday, less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene devastated Florida

Hurricane Milton is expected to hit Florida on Wednesday as a Category 3 storm

Milton was centered late Sunday evening about 230 miles west-northwest of Progreso, Mexico, and 765 miles west-southwest of Tampa, with maximum sustained winds of 90 mph, the National Hurricane Center reported.

Although forecast models vary widely, the most likely path suggests Milton could make landfall in the Tampa Bay area on Wednesday and remain a hurricane, moving over central Florida and into the Atlantic Ocean.

That would largely spare other Southeastern states hit by Hurricane Helene, which caused catastrophic damage from Florida to the Appalachians and pushed the death toll to at least 230 people on Sunday.

However, according to the Tallahassee Democrat, the storm is expected to significantly strengthen over the next 48 hours and become a Category 3 hurricane when it reaches Florida.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has declared a state of emergency for 51 of the state's 67 counties as officials across the state urge people to evacuate before Milton reaches landfall

It 10 to 20 centimeters of rain is expected to fall in the cities of Miami, Orlando and Tampa, and up to 15 centimeters of rain could fall in other parts of the state.

According to the Tampa Bay Times, it will also bring the worst storm surge in more than 100 years to the Tampa Bay area, with water levels of up to 10 inches – nearly twice as much as Helene, which killed 12 people in Pinellas County alone lives came.

“I don’t think there’s a scenario where we don’t have a major impact at this point,” DeSantis said at a news conference Sunday.

“You have time to prepare — all day today, all day Monday, probably all day Tuesday to make sure your hurricane preparedness plan is implemented,” DeSantis said. “If you are on the west coast of Florida in the barrier islands, just assume you will be asked to leave the country.”

He further pointed out that the risk of power outages may be greater than what residents saw during Helene.

The state is already reeling from the effects of Hurricane Helene, which hit the Sunshine State less than two weeks ago

More than 15 million people are now under flood protection through Thursday morning, and schools in Hillsborough County, Pinellas County and Pasco County have already announced closures through Wednesday, with Hillsborough officials saying the decision allows the schools to be converted into emergency shelters.

“Given the recent impacts of Hurricane Helene, many in our community are still recovering and it may be unsafe to remain in their homes.” “We are also anticipating an influx of evacuees from coastal areas,” county officials said.

“If you are in an evacuation zone, please consider using one of our school shelters.”

Officials in Tampa have also opened all city garages for free to residents in hopes of protecting their cars, including electric vehicles, from flooding. Vehicles must be parked in any garage on the third floor or higher.

DeSantis warned Sunday that flying debris could pose a major threat to life and property because so many people had not yet cleared their homes of debris

The storm will hit less than two weeks after Helene left thousands in their flooded homes, and Gov. DeSantis warned Sunday that flying debris could pose a major threat to life and property as so many people have not yet evacuated their homes freed from rubble.

With this in mind, the governor issued an emergency order on Saturday requiring all landfills and waste disposal sites to be open 24 hours a day.

He also remembered the National Guard and State Guard members who had been deployed to other Southern states to assist in their efforts to recover Helene.

More than 800 Guardsmen are currently deployed to clear debris, but DeSantis said Sunday that up to 4,000 would soon be available, according to CNN.

“All available state resources … will be used to assist with debris removal,” DeSantis said. “We’re on duty 24/7… it’s all hands on deck.”

And building on lessons learned from Irma and other previous storms, Florida is providing emergency fuel for gasoline vehicles and charging stations for electric vehicles along evacuation routes, Kevin Guthrie, executive director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, said at a briefing Sunday.

“We are looking at any potential, possible location where someone can potentially be housed as a sanctuary of last resort,” Guthrie added.

FEMA officials say they are prepared to deal with the impending storm as some of Helene are still stranded

When Milton reached hurricane status on Sunday, it was one of the earliest 13th storms of the season, typically not hitting until Oct. 25, CNN reports.

Milton also marked the first time since September that the Atlantic experienced three simultaneous hurricanes, according to hurricane scientist Phil Klotzbach of Colorado State University. There were four simultaneous hurricanes in August and September.

Still, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said her agency is ready to deal with the impending storm and is trying to position resources before Milton invades Florida.

“We're working with the state there to understand what requirements they're going to have so we can implement those before they land,” she said.

But since Helene's attack more than a week ago, federal disaster assistance has surpassed $137 million, one of the largest mobilizations of personnel and resources in recent history, FEMA said Sunday.

Approximately 1,500 active-duty soldiers, more than 6,100 National Guardsmen and nearly 7,000 federal employees were deployed to transport more than 14.9 million meals, 13.9 million gallons of water, 157 generators and 505,000 tarps, costing over $30 million Housing and Housing to provide other types of assistance to over 27,000 households, according to FEMA, the White House and the Department of Defense.

More than 800 people unable to return home remain in FEMA-provided shelters and 22 emergency shelters are still housing nearly 1,000 people, while mobile feeding operations continue to help survivors.

The response to Helene will not slow down during Milton and its aftermath because of FEMA's ability to handle multiple disasters simultaneously, the agency said.

“My administration is sparing no resources to support families on their road to recovery,” said President Biden. “We will continue to work hand in hand with local and state politicians – regardless of political party and no matter how long it takes.”