One of the largest evacuations in Florida’s history is underway after officials urged 5.5 million people along Florida’s Gulf Coast to seek shelter ahead of Hurricane Milton’s expected landfall near Sarasota this evening. As it approached Florida, Milton once again strengthened into a “catastrophic” Category 5 storm. It’s forecast to double in size as it crosses the Florida Peninsula, triggering deadly storm surges, winds and torrential downpours. The National Weather Service has warned Milton could be “the most powerful hurricane to hit Tampa Bay in over 100 years.” Mass evacuations across Tampa and other areas have clogged highways, with reports of widespread price gouging as more than 1,000 gas stations ran out of fuel. Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, a climate crisis denier, warned people to stock up on food and water and to prepare for power outages that could last weeks.

Meanwhile, Florida’s Department of Corrections says it evacuated at least 4,600 incarcerated people, including many prisoners who’d been tasked with cleaning up debris following Hurricane Helene. The Manatee County Jail, however, has refused to evacuate the approximately 1,200 people in its custody despite the life-threatening risks.

Early Wednesday, Milton churned over the northeast of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula with maximum wind speeds of about 160 miles per hour. Residents are calling on the Mexican government to help with recovery and to spray against mosquitoes carrying disease. This is a fisherman from Celestún, Yucatán.

Ismael Valencia: “We demand support for the most vulnerable people and, above all, to fumigate, because now there will be a lot of illnesses — dengue, Zika — a lot of illnesses. I would demand authorities not to abandon the Celestún port.”