Escaping Hurricane Milton: Traffic Jams And Tornado Risks Complicate Florida Residents' Evacuations

Florida residents are facing significant challenges while evacuating their towns in anticipation of Hurricane Milton's landfall. Following alerts from weather forecasters, the state government issued an immediate evacuation order to minimize the risk to lives.The region is taking precautionary steps to combat hurricane Milton, days after hurricane Helene left the region in a devastating state. To ease down the process of evacuation, Florida governor, Ron DeSantis ordered for tolls to be exempted on highways and open safety lanes to lower down road congestion. But, there were road congestions and the traffic levels were higher than normal and there were many blockages on certain routes due to unwanted incidents. While addressing the challenges faced by the residents, the Regions Transport Secretary Jared Perdue said, "Unfortunately, every storm we see traffic fatalities because people wait until the last minute to leave." His statement came after a plane carrying four people and their dog crashed in Tampa Bay, leaving them injured. All of them were evacuating from Hurricane Milton. Meanwhile, the National Weather Service has warned of potential tornado formations that could complicate evacuation efforts.Governor DeSantis has declared a state of emergency for 51 counties in Florida. A look at the counties under a state of emergency - Palm BeachMartinSt. LucieIndian RiverOkeechobeeBrowardMiami-DadeAlachuaBakerBradfordBrevardBrowardCharlotteCitrusClayCollierColumbiaDeSotoDixieDuvalFlaglerGilchristGladesHamiltonHardeeHendryHernandoHighlandsHillsboroughLafayetteLakeLeeLevyMadisonManateeMarionMonroeNassauOrangeOsceolaPascoPinellasPolkPutnamSarasotaSeminoleSt. JohnsSumterSuwaneeTaylorUnionVolusia