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Photos: Millions in Florida flee Hurricane Milton as wind gusts to 120 mph

Robert Haight looks around his destroyed house after it was hit by a reported tornado
Robert Haight looks around his destroyed house after it was hit by a reported tornado in Fort Myers, Fla. “I heard a piece of glass crack and [it] sucked the whole roof off,” he said.
(Chandan Khanna / Getty Images)
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Hurricane Milton hits Florida with full force
  • Hurricane Milton moved in Wednesday evening, bringing winds, waves and surges.
  • Nearly 6 million people were told to evacuate.

Hurricane Milton moved into Florida on Wednesday evening, as forecasters warned that the once-in-a-generation storm was expected to bring life-threatening storm surge, destructive winds and flooding.

“This could be the worst storm to hit Florida in over a century,” President Biden said Wednesday. “God willing, it won’t be, but that’s what it’s looking like right now. ... My priority is to increase the size and presence of our [federal personnel] ... as we prepare for another catastrophic storm.”

The storm comes less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene devastated communities across the Southeast, including Tampa, which is expected to be hit hard by Milton.

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Palm trees and heavy rain
(Marta Lavandier / Associated Press)

A Lee County sheriff’s officer patrols the streets of Cape Coral, Fla.

Visitors walk through the Disney Springs shopping center
(Giorgio Viera / Getty Images)

Visitors walk through the Disney Springs shopping area ahead of Hurricane Milton’s landfall.

Heavy traffic flows northbound on Interstate-75 as people evacuate the Tamp
(Julio Cortez / Associated Press)

Heavy traffic flows north on Interstate 75 as people evacuate Tampa Bay.

A man carries his dog through thigh-high water
(Jen Golbeck / Associated Press)

A man carries his dog across the submerged Edward B. Knight Pier.

A half-submerged boat next to a bridge
(Rebecca Blackwell / Associated Press)

A boat damaged by Hurricane Helene rests against a bridge ahead of Milton in South Pasadena, Fla.

Ron Rook, who said he was looking for people in need of help or debris to c
(Rebecca Blackwell / Associated Press)
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Ron Rook walks through wind and rain on a deserted street in downtown Tampa.

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