Milton, a catastrophic category 5 hurricane, is due to make landfall on Florida‘s Gulf Coast close to Tampa Bay at 1am EST on Thursday, with winds arriving at 2pm EST on Wednesday. A state of emergency has been declared in 51 of the state’s 67 counties.
While the Gulf Coast will bear the brunt of the impact, the state’s east coast will also be affected. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has warned that blackouts are possible.
However, many of the state’s hotels have been built to withstand hurricanes, and have back-up generators.
The UK Foreign Office is advising travellers in the region to follow instructions from local authorities, including evacuation orders, but it is not issued a direct warning against travel to Florida. However, most flights from the UK have been cancelled or delayed on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
Simon McCulloch, chief growth officer at travel insurance provider Staysure, says: “If you are stranded abroad because of the hurricane, and it becomes recognised by the FCDO, your travel insurance provider should extend your cover dates until you get home but it is your responsibility to keep them updated.”
The US National Hurricane Centre has warned that “a large area of destructive storm surge, with highest inundations of 10ft or greater, is expected along a portion of the west-central coast of the Florida peninsula.”
It adds that the situation is “extremely life threatening” for anyone in the storm surge warning area – which extends from Dixie/Levy County Line to Mainland Monroe; and East Coast to Brevard County – and to follow local evacuation orders.
As the storm crosses the peninsula on Thursday, it is expected to maintain “life-threatening hurricane-force winds” while heavy rain could cause devastating flash and urban flooding.
The governor has advised that people currently in evacuation areas can make use of shelters that have been provided in many counties. In mandatory evacuation zones, Uber is providing free rides to shelters while some counties are providing free evacuation shuttles.
Florida warning areas
Hurricane Warning
Brevard, Charlotte, Citrus, DeSoto, Flagler, Hardee, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Indian River, Lake, Lee, Levy, Manatee, Marion, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Sarasota, Seminole, St Johns, St Lucie, Sumter and Volusia counties.
Hurricane Watch
Clay, Collier, Dry Tortugas, Duval, Glades, Hendry, Lake Okeechobee, Martin and Nassau counties.
Tropical Storm Warning
Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Broward, Clay, Coastal Franklin, Coastal Jefferson, Coastal Wakulla, Collier, Columbia, Dixie, Duval, Gilchrist, Glades, Hendry, Lafayette, Martin, Miami-Dade, Monroe (Mainland and Keys), Nassau, Palm Beach, Suwannee, Taylor and Union counties.
Tropical Storm Watch
Hamilton, Inland Jefferson and Madison counties.
Storm Surge Warning
Dixie/Levy County Line through Mainland Monroe; East Coast through Brevard County
What should I do if I’m due to travel to Florida?
Anyone due to fly to a Florida airport on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday should check their flight status with the airline in the first instance. Schedules are likely to change as the storm progresses towards and over the state.
Visit Florida has updated advice on all the latest warnings, orders and closures for those already in the state.
Tampa, Orlando and Southwest Florida (Fort Myers) airports are now closed, with Melbourne Orlando closing at 2pm Wednesday EST. Airports are unlikely to reopen before Friday morning.
Miami International is “open and monitoring Hurricane Milton” as of 12pm GMT. It is advising passengers to to confirm flight status with their airline.
Eight flights from the UK to Orlando have been cancelled on Wednesday – two to Tampa and one to Miami. On Tuesday, 14 flights from the UK to Florida were cancelled.
According to aviation analyst Cirium, 853 flights have been cancelled departing Florida airports so far today, equating to 47 per cent of all scheduled departures. More are expected to follow.
Tui, which takes hundreds of thousands of travellers to Florida each year, says it is “closely monitoring the path of Hurricane Milton… As a result Melbourne international airport is expected to be extremely disrupted, as will our flying programme”.
It is advising customers due to fly tomorrow that their flights are likely to be delayed for a minimum of 24 hours, operating on Friday 11 October. It will contact affected passengers directly.
Virgin Atlantic has cancelled a number of its services on Thursday as well as Wednesday, and delayed some services from Edinburgh by a minimum of 23 hours. It is reassuring customers currently in the region that “Orlando hotels are built to withstand hurricanes, so remaining at your hotel is the safest place, unless you are specifically instructed to evacuate”.
It has also moved its Gulf Coast customers inland to Orlando and warns: “Do not drive, and do not attempt to go to the parks.”
Disney is closing its theme parks in stages from 1pm EST on Wednesday, potentially reopening with limited capacity on Thursday afternoon.
Parts of Universal Studios Florida are already closed, with other parts closing from 2pm EST. It expects to reopen its parks on Friday.
What about cruises?
According to the US Travel Association, cruise lines have changed the schedules of 10 ships due to arrive or depart from Florida ports, most of them Royal Caribbean’s.
The cruise line says “we’re closely monitoring Hurricane Milton along with our chief meteorologist. We are committed to keeping you informed as the situation evolves. As always, please know that the safety and comfort of our guests are always our highest priority. Please check back for any potential changes.”
A CLIA spokesperson said: “Our cruise line members are closely monitoring Hurricane Milton as the situation continues to unfold and making decisions, as always, that prioritise the safety of passengers. Cruise lines are co-ordinating directly with their guests and travel agents as needed.”
Vessel movements have been stopped in the Port of Tampa Bay and Port Canaveral, which are closed to all vessel traffic and ship to shore operations until further notice.
Port Everglades and Port Miami are currently open but passengers are advised to contact their cruise line for updates.
Should I cancel?
Those with imminent bookings to Florida should check the status of their journey with the provider. If there is no update, they should wait since it is likely that further cancellations and delays will follow.
Cancelling without speaking to discuss your options with your provider could be considered a disinclination to travel, and you could forfeit the cost of your trip.
Compensation for any disruption to journeys caused by Hurricane Milton are unlikely, since it is an “extraordinary circumstance” beyond the control of operators.
However, cancelled flights should be refunded within seven days. Passengers can alternatively take the option to be re-routed to their destination at the earliest possible opportunity. Given the number of cancellations, this could be some time.
