Florida orders evacuations, scrambles to clear Helene's debris

Florida's storm-battered Gulf Coast raced against a Category 5 hurricane on Monday as workers sprinted to pick up heaps of appliances and other street debris left over from Helene two weeks ago and highways were clogged with people fleeing ahead of the storm.

The centre of Hurricane Milton could come ashore on Wednesday in the Tampa Bay region, which has not endured a direct hit by a major hurricane in more than a century. Scientists expect the system to weaken slightly before landfall, though it could retain hurricane strength as it churns across central Florida toward the Atlantic Ocean. That would largely spare other states ravaged by Helene, which killed at least 230 people on its path from Florida to the Carolinas.

This is the real deal here with Milton, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor told a news conference. If you want to take on Mother Nature, she wins 100 per cent of the time.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said on Monday that it was imperative for debris from Helene to be cleared ahead