“I’ve never seen anything like Helene,” the mayor told NBC News. ‘And now the successive storms. Milton, as you have heard, is simply a monster. And so we’re doing what we can to prepare.”

But as the storm draws closer and residents evacuate, Castor couldn’t sugarcoat the prospect of failing to clear a large majority of the debris before Milton struck with hurricane-force winds and the possibility of more than a foot of rain cover.

“The household waste, the debris,” she said, “we’re working around the clock to collect that. But we’re probably running out of time.’

Castor said she spoke with President Joe Biden, who offered a range of federal aid. She asked Biden for help with the rubble because she worried that branches, wood and sharp objects will be weaponized by hurricane force winds when Milton makes landfall.

She praised the Biden administration’s response so far, a response that includes the presence of pre-deployed officials from the Federal Emergency Management Administration, as well as assistance from Gov. Ron DeSantis’ offices and regional officials.

“Everyone is doing their best to prepare for what is going to be a catastrophic storm,” Castor said.

She praised the technology on display when an AquaFence FloodWall was deployed around Tampa General Hospital during Helene’s impacts last month. It “literally saved” the facility from disastrous flooding, the mayor said.