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FEMA administrator visits St. Pete ahead of Hurricane Milton: 'Worst case scenario'

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Published  October 8, 2024 12:15am EDT
St. Petersburg
FOX 13 News

Preparing for Hurricane Milton: Pinellas County

Genevieve Curtis reports

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - As thousands leave their homes behind ahead of Hurricane Milton, FEMA officials are in town preparing for what could potentially be a devastating situation. 

A FEMA administrator visited St. Petersburg on Monday ahead of Milton, underscoring how devastating the hurricane is expected to be for the Tampa Bay area. It's the first time FEMA has been in the area before a hurricane.

"We are seeing historic storm after historic storm," said FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell. 

Hurricane Milton: Pinellas County updates & information

The city’s emergency manager said this storm is, "our worst case scenario."

"Now, we are facing what could be the biggest storm to hit this side of Florida and directly into Tampa, I need people to move out of harm’s way," said Criswell.

FOX 13 exclusively spoke with Criswell and learned what resources the federal government is providing to a city already reeling from Hurricane Helene.

St. Pete Mayor Ken Welch also said he spoke with the White House on Monday. The federal response includes moving thousands of pounds of food and water to the city as well as search and rescue teams, and the Army Corps of Engineers has been mobilized.

READ: Electric vehicles could ignite during Hurricane Milton: Here’s what to know to avoid a fire

Reinforcements are key for a city where more than 150 employees were personally impacted by Helene. Criswell, who had been on the ground in North Carolina following Helene, flew to St. Pete for a few hours to address this serious threat.

"The fact that I’m here today emphasizes how important it is for people to evacuate, it's critical for them to evacuate," she said.

The city has a shelter set up at Gibbs High School as they continue to urge those in evacuation zones A, B and C to leave the area. 

During our interview with the FEMA administrator, Criswell also addressed misinformation and whether FEMA has enough money for hurricane response and recovery. 

RELATED: Evacuation orders in place for more than half of Pinellas County residents: 'Get through Milton alive'

"I have plenty of funding to support the ongoing efforts for Hurricane Helene and the preparatory efforts and the initial response efforts for Hurricane Milton. And so nobody needs to worry about us not having enough money to support that. And no money has been given to any other department or agency from this fund, it is purely dedicated to support the lifesaving needs that we need to do, and that's what we're going to do as we go through this," said Criswell.

The St. Pete Police Department is also letting businesses in evacuation zones A, B and C know they must close by 5 a.m. Tuesday or face fines or arrest.

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