Tornadoes erupt as deadly Hurricane Milton barrels toward Florida and authorities issue 11th-hour warning to ‘get out now’ – as worried-looking resident Tom Cruise is seen in London

Officials in Florida have issued last ditch warnings for citizens refusing to evacuate in the last few hours before Hurricane Milton makes landfall, telling them to ‘get out now’ as several tornadoes have begun to hit the state.

Millions of people are locked in a desperate race against time to evacuate before the ‘storm of the century’ smashes into Tampa late tonight, with officials warning that those choosing to stay and ride out Hurricane Milton would be left to fend for themselves.

Emergency services officials have not held back in their assessment of the damage Milton could bring, going out of their way to underscore the lethal potential of the storm bearing down on helpless beachfronts and reminding residents of the destruction wrought by Hurricane Helene just weeks ago.

‘This is it, folks,’ Emergency Management Director Cathie Perkins said at a Wednesday morning news conference. ‘Those of you who were punched during Hurricane Helene, this is going to be a knockout. You need to get out and you need to get out now.’

While police chief of Homes Beach, William Tokajer, chillingly told residents who refused to leave: ‘Take a pen and write your name and social security number on your leg so that we have a contact if we find you. Because this is not going to end well.’

Their remarks double down on pleas from Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, who urged the 3.3 million people in her city to evacuate before 15 feet (4.5 metres) of storm surge submerges entire properties. 

She has repeatedly warned those who are refusing to leave that they could die in their homes as more than 1,700 flights in and out of the city were cancelled, declaring: ‘If you’re in it, basically that’s the coffin that you’re in.’ 

Meanwhile, at least three twisters were reported to be ripping across the state – one was spotted tearing towards the I-75 Interstate west of Sunrise as two others were filmed churning towards Andytown and Miles City. 

A tornado watch has been issued for more than 20 Florida counties ahead of Milton’s arrival.

The National Weather Service on Wednesday morning issued the watch, which includes a vast part of Florida, including the Tampa area, the Florida Keys and Miami-Dade County.

Unsettling clips taken early this morning also showed a huge lightning storm erupting off the coast of Key West. 

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis today said the National Guard was preparing the largest search and rescue operation in the state’s history, with some 9,000 servicemen deployed in anticipation of the chaos Milton could cause.  

Milton is also expected to engulf Clearwater shortly after landfall, where the Church of Scientology maintains its ‘worldwide spiritual headquarters’. 

Actor and renowned scientologist Tom Cruise, who also owns a large apartment complex in Clearwater, was today spotted in London sporting a concerned look amid the news of Milton’s destructive power. 

The state is holding its breath as Milton barrels across the Gulf of Mexico and heads for the shoreline, with forecasters warning of the prospect of brutal floods and 165 miles-per-hour winds. 

Its intensity was downgraded from a Category 5 hurricane to a Category 4 this afternoon, but the storm has dramatically increased in size and is expected to lay waste to huge swathes of land when it strikes Florida’s west coast. It is thought the Hurricane could double in size by the time it hits.

Emergency workers are busy making last-ditch preparations, locking down communities, readying rescue trucks and placing flood barricades around vital infrastructure, including Tampa General Hospital, which is expected to bear the brunt of Milton’s wrath when it hits around midnight UK time (7pm EST). 

The National Guard has also been drafted in to help any residents in difficulty carry out desperate eleventh-hour evacuations amid light flooding as the outer edges of the hurricane caused weather conditions to deteriorate this morning. 

Emergency Management Director Perkins said 13 public shelters are open for people with no other option to escape the storm and that major bridges around Tampa Bay would begin closing in the afternoon. 

Perkins also said people should not feel a sense of relief because of indications Milton might come ashore south of Tampa.

‘Everybody in Tampa Bay should assume we are going to be ground zero,’ she said.

Governor DeSantis said some 26 search and rescue teams are in place ready to launch missions as soon as the Hurricane has barreled through.

‘They are currently embedded in the potential impact sites along the west coast to begin immediate rescue operations as soon as the storm passes,’ said DeSantis.

Law enforcement vehicles blocked the bridge from the mainland to the barrier island of St. Pete Beach on Wednesday morning, where as of Tuesday evening, officials had closed down access to this string of low-lying barrier islands that jut out into the Gulf.

All residents in these low-lying communities west of the city of St. Petersburg are under mandatory evacuation orders, as another storm bears down less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene killed 12 people in the Tampa Bay area, including residents who didn’t leave – and then drowned in their homes.

Officials are warning that a direct hit from Hurricane Milton would bring far greater risks to this part of the state.

In Sarasota, emergency officials urgently warned people who live near bodies of water to leave immediately

‘We’ve seen a lot of questions about, ”well I live on a creek” or ”I live on a river, is it really going to get 10 to 15 feet where I live?”,’ Sarasota County Emergency Management Chief Sandra Tapfumaneyi said in a briefing early Wednesday.

‘That storm surge is going to start at 10 or 15 feet near the coastline and then it’s going to travel,’ she said. ‘And storm surge likes to go on the path of least resistance. So those of you that live near a river, that live near a creek, those river banks, their water will come up.’

‘We do not want you staying in your home if you’re anywhere near a body of water,’ Tapfumaneyi said.

‘This is going to be an intense disaster for Sarasota County. Evacuate now if you have not done so already.’

Some 6 million people across the state are subject to a mandatory evacuation warning, many of whom decided to pack up and flee in their cars.

Highways were at a standstill all day yesterday as locals and holidaymakers sought to evacuate amid a mass exodus, but by the evening roads in Tampa and other communities were seen completely empty as dystopian drone footage revealed how they had turned into ghost towns.  

US President Joe Biden begged Florida residents to flee last night, warning that the storm could turn into the worst natural disaster to hit the state in a century.

‘It’s a matter of life and death, and that’s not hyperbole,’ Biden said from the White House on Tuesday, urging those under orders to leave to ‘evacuate now, now, now.’

Officials warned that anyone who refuses to leave will be left without help as first responders are not expected to risk their lives attempting rescues at the height of the storm. 

‘This is the 11th hour. If you’re in an evacuation zone, the time to get out is now,’ Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister told CNN’s Kasie Hunt on this morning, adding that more than 1,000 rescues were conducted in his county after Hurricane Helene.

‘We only have to look back two weeks ago. We’re still healing from this storm and recovering,’ he said.

Yet some residents have chosen to stay in their homes, even with the debris left by Hurricane Helene two weeks ago still lying by the roadside. 

Milton was initially set as a category one storm when forecasters first raised the alarm over the weekend after it battered Mexico with powerful gusts and floods.

But its intensity has only increased since then, with officials overnight declaring Milton had become a category five storm that could see potential wind speeds up to a stunning 165mph wreak havoc in Tampa Bay. 

The storm is currently on a direct collision course for the city of Tampa, home to more than 3 million people, though forecasters said the path could vary before the storm makes landfall late tonight.

The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) described Milton as a ‘catastrophic’ and ‘dangerous’ event, putting it at the highest level on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale.

Weather conditions were expected to start deteriorating rapidly in the afternoon before the storm makes landfall late tonight.

In its latest advisory, the NHC said Milton was expected to turn to the east-northeast and east on Thursday and Friday. 

Milton comes just two weeks after Hurricane Helene battered Florida and blazed a trail of destruction as far inland as the Appalachian mountains, leaving some 230 people dead. 

Helene roared into the Florida coastline as a Category 4 storm on September 26 and carved a path of destruction inland, dumping torrential rainfall and flash flooding on remote towns in states such as North Carolina.

That storm was the deadliest natural disaster to hit the United States since 2005’s Hurricane Katrina – but many fear that Milton will be yet more destructive.

Milton became the third-fastest intensifying storm on record in the Atlantic, growing from a Category 1 to a Category 5 in less than 24 hours before being downgraded to a Category 4 this afternoon. 

Hurricane expert Michael Lowry warned that in the Tampa area, home to about three million people, Milton’s storm surge ‘could double the storm surge levels observed two weeks ago during Helene’.

State and local governments scrambled ahead of the storm to remove piles of debris left in Helene’s wake, fearing that the oncoming hurricane would turn loose wreckage into flying missiles. 

Governor Ron DeSantis said the state deployed over 300 dump trucks that had removed 1,300 loads of debris. 

The US National Hurricane Centre predicted Milton could weaken somewhat before it makes landfall Wednesday evening but is set to remain a major hurricane.

Meanwhile, shocking footage from a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) plane showed how scientists braved Milton’s terror, flying through the hurricane to collect valuable data. 

Torrents of rain whipped by the windows as the scientists were tossed around in the cabin, such was the turbulence they faced.   

In an unsettling assessment, the National Hurricane Centre office in Miami said yesterday: ‘Milton has the potential to be one of the most destructive hurricanes on record for west-central Florida.

‘Milton is still a relatively compact hurricane, but the wind field is expected to continue to grow in size as it approaches Florida. 

‘In fact, the official forecast shows the hurricane and tropical-storm-force winds roughly doubling in size by the time it makes landfall.’

Florida Governor DeSantis expanded his state of emergency declaration on Sunday to 51 counties and said Floridians should prepare for more power outages and disruption, making sure they have a week’s worth of food and water and are ready to hit the road.  

DeSantis at a news conference last night ticked off town after town in danger, saying: ‘Basically the entire peninsula portion of Florida is under some type of either a watch or a warning.’

Meanwhile, several municipalities across Florida have announced curfews for people remaining while Hurricane Milton hits the state.

In Fort Myers Beach, a 24-hour daily general curfew began at 10pm on Tuesday night. 

The city of Naples will begin a ‘vehicle curfew’ starting at 4pm today; the island of Sanibel in Lee County will launch its curfew at 10pm today; and in Flagler County, a curfew will last at least 12 hours, from Wednesday at 7pm to Thursday at 7am.

It expanded yesterday morning as it hurtled over the Gulf of Mexico towards Tampa – making it potentially ‘one of the most destructive hurricanes on record’ for west-central Florida, according to the NHC.

The hurricane’s winds are becoming more wide-reaching from the centre of the storm – vastly increasing its capacity to cause destruction.

Milton’s gales extended around 80 miles from the eye of the storm through Monday, and this increased to just over 100 miles by Wednesday morning.

But the warnings of Milton’s destructive power have only grown more alarming over the course of the week with local officials scrambling to evacuate the population before the tempest hits Tampa and St Petersburg some time this evening.

The National Weather Service has warned that Milton could also bring tornadoes, with communities throughout the state – even those far from Milton’s landfall – at risk of a twister.

Drivers last night queued in standstill traffic as the state’s major highways were clogged with miles-long lines of cars trying to flee the line of danger. 

In a scene of frantic preparation repeated all over Florida, dozens of cars lined up at a sports facility in Tampa to pick up sandbags to protect their homes from flooding yesterday.

John Gomez, 75, ignored official advice and traveled all the way from Chicago to try to save a second house he has in Florida.

‘I think it’s better to be here in case something happens,’ Gomez said as he waited in line.

But Katie, in her 30s, heeded the call to evacuate and arrived in Orlando with her five-year-old son and dog from St. Petersburg, a coastal city where Hurricane Helene had brought three feet of floodwater into her bayside home two weeks ago.

Normally she would ride out the storm at a friend’s elevated apartment, ‘but I’m not taking any chances this time around,’ she said.

The window has also closed for people to escape the region by plane as airports in Tampa, St Petersburg and Orlando shut down and grounded flights. Thousands of British tourists are now battling hurricane chaos as Milton threatens to devastate much of the gulf coast.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said earlier this week it was coordinating its response to the Hurricane with governor DeSantis and briefed President Joe Biden on how it has staged lifesaving resources.

FEMA has prepared 20million meals and 40million litres of water at the ready, as they prepare to deploy them after the hurricane hits. 

‘I highly encourage you to evacuate’ if you’re in an evacuation zone, said Kevin Guthrie, executive director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, yesterday. ‘We are preparing… for the largest evacuation that we have seen, most likely since 2017, Hurricane Irma. 

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said though it remains unclear exactly where Milton will strike, ‘I don’t think there’s any scenario where we don’t have major impacts at this point.’ 

Some residents, who despite the desperate calls to evacuate either chose to remain in place or could not flee, are hunkering down after sprees of panic buying  stripped store shelves of bottled water, toilet paper and other household necessities. 

Home owners are already on the guard against thieves – with one sign in New Port Richey, just north of Tampa on Florida’s Gulf Coast, emblazoned with: ‘You loot, we shoot on sight’.

Milton was so strong on Monday night that experts called for it to be given unprecedented Category 6 status, however the hurricane was downgraded to a Category 5 early this morning before being reduced again to Cat 4. 

Forecasters warn Milton is ‘expected to grow in size’ and remain ‘an extremely dangerous hurricane’ when it makes landfall on Wednesday.

Those who are still desperate to escape and follow evacuation orders said it may be too ‘dangerous’ to hit the roads because local gas stations have run out of fuel. 

However, Governor Ron DeSantis assured residents that there’s enough fuel for them to get away from the storm.

A terrifying simulation unveiled last night laid bare what is expected to happen when Hurricane Milton strikes Florida. 

Animated footage revealed the horrifying destruction Milton could wreak with as much as 15 feet of water predicted in some areas – taller than a double decker bus.

Broadcast on The Weather Channel, the brown surge of the flood could be seen rising to twice the height of presenter Stephanie Abrams.

Commentating on the impending disaster, she said: ‘At this level the first floors of structures are completely flooded and there are few places that it is safe when the water rises this high.

‘We want everyone to know their evacuation zone, listen to local officials and evacuate when ordered to do so. This is not just a calm water – you’re going to have waves and even whitecaps on the surge inland.’

The camera then continued to pan over the scene, which saw buildings carried off in the raging turbulence of the flood, as the water topped the tropical palm trees. Dustbins and logs floated on the surface.

Meteorologist Jordan Steele added: ‘It’s going to be nasty. Trying to think you could walk in it – please do not think that.

‘This thing will carry you away, especially when we’ve got the forecast that it could go up to 15 feet.’

The storm centre is expected to come ashore Wednesday night in the Tampa Bay area, which has not endured a direct hit by a major hurricane in more than a century. 

Locals took to social media, detailing their fears as they struggle to evacuate from communities located in Milton’s expected direct path.

Sharing drone footage of clogged traffic along I-75 between Morris Bridge and Bruce B Downs on Monday, one X user said: ‘This is why a lot of people are staying behind, at a certain point traffic is so bad you cannot get out of Florida, or there’s no gas. So you’re stuck outside of Gainesville.’

One woman, whose son lives in Hernando County, said that he is trapped. 

‘Everywhere is out of gas and roads are too backed up for him to [evacuate],’ she tweeted. ‘He has family in Georgia but can’t get there. This is scary. He is scared. I am terrified for him.’

The concerned mother added that her son’s community was also among those flooded by Hurricane Helene last week. 

She said: ‘Now Milton is heading for them.’

But DeSantis tried to ease fears yesterday morning, saying during a press conference: ‘There is no fuel shortage. Fuel continues to arrive in the state of Florida.’

Despite the long lines at gas stations, DeSantis said officials are working with fuel companies to continue bringing in gasoline.

‘You do not have to get on the interstate and go far away,’ he added. ‘You can evacuate tens of miles; you do not have to evacuate hundreds of miles away. You do have options.’

He added that Florida has helped evacuate more than 200 health care facilities in Milton’s path and that 36 county-run shelters are open. 

Still, multiple people have also shared anecdotes on X detailing their fears and claiming they are unable to afford the cost of either driving or flying their way out of the state.

‘I’ve had two people in the last HOUR tell me they can’t afford to evacuate for Hurricane Milton. Never tell me low wages aren’t violent ever again,’ one user on X posted yesterday.

A Sarasota resident also claimed they were struggling to get out of the storm’s way.

‘I live in Sarasota, which is in the direct path of Hurricane Milton. They are evacuating my town, but there is no gas left to evacuate, and traffic is so bad that it could be more dangerous to try and evacuate at this point. What would you do if you were me?’

DeSantis said the state would activate 8,000 National Guard members and is positioning truckloads of supplies and equipment near the area where the storm is expected to make landfall. 

Tampa’s airport closed indefinitely from 9am Tuesday, meaning residents can no longer evacuate by plane. The airport posted on X that it is not a shelter for people or their cars.

St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport said it is in a mandatory evacuation zone and will close after the last flight leaves today.

Delta Air Lines ran out of flights from Tampa to Atlanta at 10.30am Monday, with customers having to pay more than $800 for a roundabout flight to Washington DC instead.

Meanwhile, American Airlines was selling flights from Tampa to Atlanta on Monday for between $641 and $2,400, with only a couple of seats remaining on each plane.

Florida is a popular destination for UK tourists, with over a million typically travelling there annual for attractions including Disney World. 

Universal’s Orlando Resort has cancelled a number of events over the coming week – with Volcano Bay closed tomorrow and on Thursday, alongside the Halloween Horror Nights. Their hotels intend to remain fully operational. SeaWorld Orlando also said it would close on Wednesday and Thursday.

The theme parks join Orlando International Airport, which said it would cease operations Wednesday morning. The airport is the nation’s seventh busiest and Florida’s most trafficked.

Walt Disney World will close on Wednesday in phases starting from 1pm. The theme parks will remain closed until Thursday, when there will be the potential of some reopening in the afternoon. 

The Orlando area is the most visited destination in the United States due to Disney World, Universal Orlando Resort and other theme parks, attracting 74 million tourists last year alone.

October is also among the busier times for theme parks because of Halloween-related celebrations, which have become major money generators over the past couple decades. Universal Orlando hosts ‘Halloween Horror Nights,’ with ghoulish haunted houses based on slasher films and other pop culture horror, and Disney has its tamer ‘Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.’

While Disney rarely shuts its doors – save for dangerous hurricanes in recent years, the COVID-19 pandemic and the September 11 attacks – its hotels are often havens for coastal residents fleeing impending storms. A check of Disney World’s online reservation system on Tuesday morning showed no vacancies.

Those lucky enough to get a hotel reservation have gotten unexpected treats during past storms. During Hurricane Irma in 2017, guests at a hotel on Disney property found themselves stranded with actress Kristen Bell, who voiced the role of Anna in the beloved Disney film, ‘Frozen.’ While in Orlando, the actress found time to sing songs for evacuees at a nearby hurricane shelter.

Once a hurricane passes, the theme parks try to return operations to normal as quickly as possible. After Hurricane Charley charted a devastating path through Orlando in 2004, Disney World had utility vehicles picking up downed tree limbs and clearing roads on its property within an hour in the pitch-dark night.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has urged Brits to flee, as they say they are monitoring the weather system. An spokesperson said: ‘We are closely monitoring the development of Hurricane Milton towards the United States. We urge all British nationals in Florida or travelling to the region to follow travel advice and guidance from local authorities.’ 

British tourists have been warned to stay at home by furious Florida residents as the hurricane approaches – with desperate locals branding travelers ‘selfish’ amid ‘flee or die’ warnings that have forced them to evacuate their homes.

One couple from Essex, who say they ‘love anything Disney and Universal’, said that they were going to brave the ‘worrying’ flight from Heathrow during a hurricane. They added that they had ‘taken all cautions that needed to be taken’.

But Floridians reacted in fury towards Dan and Terry, who said they would be vlogging their 16-day adventure.

Caley Kennedy, said: ‘I would not recommend coming right now. We’ve got our own people to worry about.’

Another, Erin Dowding, replied in capitals – saying: ‘DO NOT COME.’

She continued: Why would you come into a devastating hurricane that is going to do so much damage in our state and expect us to shelter tourists and then accommodate them after.

‘Just wait a week and see if it’s ok to come. Selfish.’