The sheriff of the county that includes Tampa, part of the most populous region in the bull’s-eye of Milton, said those who remain in mandatory evacuation zones are gambling with their lives.

“They’re on their own, you know,” Sheriff Chad Chronister of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office told “Top Story with Tom Llamas” last night.

It is unsafe for anyone, including those with a badge, to be in the midst of tropical storm force winds — those 60 to 75 miles per hour — or higher, he said. Forecasters expect Milton to hit the coast with damaging winds of more than 100 miles per hour, rain of up to 10 inches and a coastal storm surge as high as 10 feet.

“When does it become too unsafe that we have to suspend services?” Chronister said.

If that happens, 911 callers in communities under mandatory evacuations may not receive help, he said.

“I don’t know why you are gambling with your life or the life of your loved one, but know that this storm will be different,” the sheriff said. “When this wind shear and wind speeds reach a certain speed, I can’t imagine the feeling of someone calling for help and no one coming.”

Hurricane Milton is expected to hit the west coast of Florida in the early hours of Thursday with winds of 100 miles per hour and a storm surge of 15 feet high. NBC News meteorologist Michelle Grossman tracks the hurricane’s expected path and impact for Early Today.

With the second major hurricane in the past two weeks barreling toward Florida, state and federal emergency officials are rushing to get personnel, equipment and supplies to the scene.

Federal Emergency Management Agency officials stressed — amid continued concerns about what is expected to be the strongest storm surge in decades — that it is ready for the expected landfall of Hurricane Milton late tonight or early Thursday and that it is fully capable of to deal with simultaneous disasters.

“Yes, we have the resources we need, both for the Helene response and for Hurricane Milton,” FEMA Acting Deputy Administrator Keith Turi said this week. “I will consult with the White House on the timing of when we may need additional resources, but we want to assure everyone that we have the resources we need to respond to both Helene and Milton.”

Former FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate also downplayed fears that FEMA is not ready for the enormous challenge it faces.

However, not everyone is so confident.

Read the full story here.

When Hurricane Milton hits Florida’s Gulf Coast, forecasters warn, the immense and powerful storm could bring a “life-threatening” storm surge of up to 15 feet (4.5 meters) in a region particularly prone to flooding.

“The west coast of Florida is very sensitive to storm surges. It doesn’t take much to push water over land that would be dry,” said Cody Fritz, Storm Surge Unit team leader at the National Hurricane Center. “It is extremely vulnerable.”

Nearly all of Florida was under hurricane watches or tropical storm warnings early this morning as the storm approached.

Evacuation orders covered coastal areas at risk of being swamped by storm surges and other life-threatening consequences, and officials yesterday told people to leave while there was still time to get out.

But areas with a population of about 11.4 million were under hurricane warnings, according to the National Weather Service.

Areas with 1.9 million residents were under a hurricane watch; tropical storm warnings affected 8.7 million; and a storm surge warning covered regions where 5.5 million people call home, according to the agency’s website.

Milton exploded from a Category 1 storm to a Category 5 storm within hours. The reason for the rapid intensification? Climate change.

“Science Guy” Bill Nye explains how climate change relates to hurricanes.

The NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning left Florida ahead of Hurricane Milton to practice the rest of the week.

The Bucs left yesterday and are moving to New Orleans, where they will play the Saints on Sunday. The Lightning headed to Raleigh, North Carolina on Monday evening to continue preparations for their season opener against the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday evening.

The Lightning’s home opener against Carolina is scheduled for Saturday evening and will go on as planned for now.

On the college level, the American Athletic Conference announced that a football game between Memphis and South Florida at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa has been moved from Friday evening to Saturday. The conference plans to monitor the circumstances following Milton’s death and adjust accordingly.

UCF’s Big 12 home football game against Cincinnati remains scheduled for a 3:30 PM EDT kickoff in Orlando.

UCF’s men’s soccer game against Marshall was moved from Friday evening to Sunday. Other postponed college events include a women’s soccer game in Boca Raton between Florida Atlantic and Rice; it was supposed to be played on Thursday and will now be played on October 17.

The LPGA Tour has postponed the qualifying phase of the LPGA Q-Series, scheduled for October 13-18 at Plantation Golf and Country Club in Venice, Florida. The tour said it would provide an update for the qualifying tournament after the storm passed.