Category: National

(NEW YORK) — Hurricane Milton is forecast to bring a slew of devastation to Florida’s west coast as the Category 3 storm makes landfall in the Tampa area Wednesday evening.

In addition to physical damage to the region, power blackouts and cell service outages could last for days after the storm hits, as was seen in the wake of Hurricane Helene late last month.

As residents prepare for impact, there are several satellite connection options available for the latest iPhone and Android models to facilitate contact with loved ones and emergency personnel in the face of outages.

iPhone

With iPhone 14 or more recent models, users can connect devices to a satellite to text emergency services, request roadside assistance, message friends and family and share locations, even without cellular and Wi-Fi coverage, according to Apple.

However, because satellites are located hundreds of miles away from Earth and move rapidly the user experience may be impacted by the low bandwidth, according to the company.

“In ideal conditions with a direct view of the sky and the horizon, a message might take 30 seconds to send. It might take over a minute to send under trees with light or medium foliage,” the company notes on its website.

Apple recommends being outside with a clear view of the horizon, moving away from obstructions such as trees, sending shorter messages and updating to the latest IOS for best results.

To connect to a satellite, swipe down from the top right corner of your iPhone to open Control Center, then tap the Cellular button on the right. Tap Satellite, then choose a satellite feature.

Ahead of the storm and for emergencies at large, Apple recommends having emergency contacts and important medical information added to your Medical ID within the Health app.

Android

For Android users hoping to connect to Google’s satellite services, the models with the capability include the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL, and the Pixel 9 Pro Fold.

Called Satellite SOS, “This feature will be activated once all the necessary software and APIs are updated and the service is registered with the satellite network,” according to Google.

The company says users will be notified once the feature is active but the status can be checked in the settings app.

On the Pixel models listed above, if you need to contact emergency services without a mobile or Wi-Fi network, dial 911 and you’ll find an option to use Satellite SOS in the dialer.

Tap Satellite SOS and then press start, from there you’ll fill out the emergency questionnaire.

To set up emergency contacts to receive updates on your location and status when using Satellite SOS, Android users should go to the phone’s Personal Safety app.

Starlink

In a collaboration with T-Mobile, Elon Musk’s Starlink is offering direct-to-cell service for areas expected to be impacted by Hurricane Milton.

“We have accelerated the rollout of Starlink direct to cell phone connectivity for areas affected by the hurricanes,” Musk wrote on X early Wednesday morning. “This is being provided free of charge by SpaceX and TMobile to help those in need,” he added.

New users can activate Starlink for free and the service will work for carriers outside of T-Mobile, according to Musk.

If a phone connects to a Starlink satellite, it will have one to two bars of signal and show “T-Mobile SpaceX” in the network name, according to SpaceX.

“Users may have to manually retry text messages if they don’t go through at first, as this is being delivered on a best-effort basis,” the company wrote on X.

“The service works best outdoors, and occasionally works indoors near a window,” SpaceX added.

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(TAMPA, Fla.) — Tampa General Hospital put its flood barrier to the test during Hurricane Helene late last month, helping protect the facility from record storm surge.

As Hurricane Milton is expected to bring record-breaking storm surge yet again to the region, the hospital — located on the bay near downtown Tampa — is surrounded by the water-impermeable barrier once more.

Milton is expected to make landfall Wednesday night near Sarasota, south of Tampa, as a Category 3 hurricane. The National Weather Service in Tampa Bay warned on Monday that Milton could be the “worst storm to impact the Tampa area in over 100 years.”

While several health care facilities are suspending service due to Milton, Tampa General Hospital, the region’s only Level I Trauma Center, is preparing to continue normal operations.

The hospital said it has several mitigation measures in place for the storm, including its barrier, made by the company AquaFence. The fence is built to withstand storm surge up to 15 feet above sea level, the hospital said.

Peak storm surge in the Tampa Bay area topped six feet during Helene, which set a new record. The flood barrier “worked effectively to prevent the storm surge from flooding” the main campus, the hospital said in the wake of Helene.

Milton could bring a record-breaking storm surge to the Tampa Bay area. Six to nine feet of storm surge is forecast for the Tampa Bay area.

The hospital said Tuesday it had completed assembly of its flood barrier ahead of Milton “to protect vulnerable areas of the campus against storm surge and flooding.”

“While AquaFence has proven effective in the past, it is just the first line of defense and one of many mitigation efforts we’ve implemented this week to safely continue care for our patients,” Jennifer Crabtree, chief of staff at Tampa General, said in a statement to ABC Orlando affiliate WFTV.

Other measures to help sustain hospital operations during the storm include an on-site water source, in the event that water service is disrupted, and an on-site energy plant located 33 feet above sea level that is built to withstand the impact and flooding of a Category 5 hurricane, the hospital said. The hospital said it has also stocked up on more than five days of supplies, including food and linens, and more than 5,000 gallons of water.

Tampa Bay, and many areas across the surrounding peninsula, are particularly vulnerable to hurricanes since these regions have not been hit with a major hurricane in decades.

Hospital systems in the region have invested in flood mitigation, hardening their facilities and moving electrical equipment to levels to protect against flooding, according to Mary Mayhew, president and CEO of the Florida Hospital Association.

“Flooding is such a huge concern,” Mayhew told ABC News. “And now, on the heels of Helene, where we have debris that is, strewn up and down the Gulf Coast, drains are plugged, they’re filled with sand.”

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(REDINGTON BEACH, Fla.) — As Hurricane Milton churns closer, Floridians are still picking up the pieces from Hurricane Helene’s devastation late last month.

Debris left from Helene, still in the process of being removed, is likely to pose significant dangers as the next one prepares to make landfall, officials say.

On Tuesday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said 1,200 truckloads of debris had already been removed, but flood-ruined furniture and downed trees remain littered throughout Florida’s west coast.

In addition, officials with the Florida Department of Transportation said Wednesday morning that over 55,000 cubic yards of debris were cleared from barrier islands.

“Debris + high winds = dangerous combination,” the state’s Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles said Monday in a post on X.

One man who evacuated his home Tuesday in Redington Beach — a barrier island west of Tampa — told ABC News the idyllic coastal neighborhood is nearly unrecognizable amid the detritus leftover from Helene.

“I’m looking out my window right now — I see five mattresses, bed frames, cabinets, refrigerators, anything you think of,” Brian Nguyen said as he and his family packed up their home of 30 years.

Nguyen said he was “very concerned” about the damage the strewn-about objects, including his now-totaled car, might cause to his and his neighbors’ homes.

“Our car has actually been totaled and it’s currently in our driveway. We weren’t able to get that towed out before we evacuate, so we’re concerned if it gets carried by the floodwater, it could run into our garage and damage the house — just additional damage,” he said.

Despite the threat, Nguyen said he’s grateful for the removal efforts so far.

“The county has honestly been doing as much as they can to expedite the debris removal, and they’re going to be working around the clock,” he said. “But, you know, it’s not just my neighborhood, but literally the entire coastline.”

Stephen Sommer, who lives in St. Petersburg, told Tampa ABC affiliate WFTS his family had lost many of their possessions in Helene, and are now preparing for more damage from Milton.

“About $30,000 in appliances, we lost all of our beds, we had to rip about four feet of drywall off in our house. We lost all of our family pictures,” Sommer said.

With high winds and storm surge expected, the lost and destroyed belongings that litter the streets are likely to cause even more destruction.

“With all of this around, it’s going to become projectiles,” said Sommer.

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(MOSCOW, Idaho) — The long-anticipated trial against the man accused of killing four University of Idaho college students nearly two years ago was delayed on Wednesday, court officials said.

Idaho District Judge Steven Hippler originally scheduled Bryan Kohberger’s capital murder trial to begin in June 2025, but will now commence on Aug. 7, 2025, and is expected to last until Nov. 7, 2025.

It wasn’t immediately clear why the delay was set.

Kohberger, a former criminology Ph.D. student at nearby Washington State University, has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary, in connection with the fatal stabbing of four University of Idaho students — Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20 — in an off-campus house in the early hours of Nov. 13, 2022.

Attorneys for Kohberger entered a plea of not guilty on his behalf. He faces the death penalty if convicted.

Kohberger was arrested following a six-week manhunt in December 2022. He waived his right to a speedy trial.

Last month, Idaho’s Supreme Court ruled that the trial would be moved from Latah County to Boise following a request for a change of venue from the defense.

A hearing is scheduled for Nov. 7, for an argument on motions challenging the death penalty, according to court documents.

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(MARCO ISLAND, Fla.) — Marco Island, a barrier island off southwest Florida, is under a mandatory evacuation ahead of Hurricane Milton’s anticipated landfall late Wednesday.

Though not everyone has evacuated.

Michael Sean Comerford, 65, told ABC News he decided to stay and watch his parents’ condo on the 23rd floor of a building while they evacuated to Naples, where his sister lives.

“I’m prepared,” he said Wednesday. “The island is closed. I have food and water for the next two days.”

Comerford said he’s not the only one who stayed behind in the building, which he said is expected to suffer a power outage in the storm.

“I feel like I’m going to survive it,” he said. “We’re not going to get the worst of it, but it’s going to be uncomfortable, given that there’s going to be power outages and it’ll be hot and dark.”

Comerford said he wanted to document what he sees for a book he’s writing about climate change, in which he talks to people on the Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf coasts.

Milton is expected to make landfall on Florida’s west coast Wednesday night, likely as a Category 3 hurricane.

The storm is forecast to make landfall farther north of Marco Island, though Comerford said there is still the “fear of the unknown.”

“If it takes a turn here this way, I don’t know what could happen,” he said. “I just don’t know. We’re getting all sorts of alarming warnings, but I think they’re directed at the people north of us.”

Comerford said he is preparing himself for “dramatic” storm surge. Marco Island could see 5 to 8 feet, according to forecasts.

“It’s going to be not insubstantial here,” he said. “The whole island could go underwater.”

ABC News’ Mark Guarino contributed to this report.

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(SARASOTA, Fla.) — While it’s still hours away from making landfall and has yet to cause any damage, Hurricane Milton is already rewriting the record books, officials said.

“I think for the west-central coast of Florida, this has the potential to be the most impactful hurricane we’ve seen in living memory, given the scope of the impacts from the storm surge,” Mike Brennan, director of the National Hurricane Center, told ABC News.

Milton is forecast to make landfall between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET Wednesday near Sarasota as a Category 3 hurricane with wind gusts of over 100 mph. On Wednesday afternoon, Milton was a Category 4 hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico about 150 miles southwest of Tampa, and moving toward Florida’s west coast at 16 mph.

Once it makes landfall, the hurricane is expected to create a 10-to-15-foot storm surge in Sarasota and a storm surge of 8-to-12 feet from Tampa down to Fort Myers.

But the storm, the ninth hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, has already made an impact on the record books.

Milton is the strongest hurricane in the Atlantic Basin in terms of pressure since Hurricane Wilma, which hit Florida in 2005. The storm is also the strongest hurricane in the Atlantic Basin in terms of windspeed since Hurricane Dorian in 2019.

On Monday, Milton was producing maximum winds of 180 mph, making it the third strongest hurricane in the Atlantic Basin on record in terms of wind.

According to the National Hurricane Center records, Milton is one of the top rapidly intensifying hurricanes after increasing 95 mph in 24 hours this week. Only hurricanes Wilma and 2007’s Felix had a greater intensification, according to the records.

Milton is also the fifth strongest hurricane in the Atlantic Basin on record by pressure.

Brennan said Milton is a different beast from other hurricanes due to its “unusual” track.

“Often we see hurricanes approach Florida from the east or the southeast,” Brennan said. “But this track is somewhat unusual and is really a worst-case scenario for these very storm-sensitive areas along the west coast of Florida because the circulation of Milton is going to be pushing that Gulf of Mexico water right up onto dry land here in these vulnerable places.”

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(TALLAHASSEE, FL.) — Storm surge is a major threat from Hurricane Milton, which is set to make landfall on Florida’s west coast as a Category 4 hurricane Wednesday night.

A dangerous, record-breaking storm surge of up to 12 feet is expected for Tampa Bay and Fort Myers. Storm surge could reach a life-threatening 15 feet near Sarasota.

Here is how storm surge works and why it’s so dangerous:

When pressure falls in the center of the hurricane, water levels rise, and the water amasses while the storm is still over the open ocean.

As the hurricane nears the shore, strong winds push that amassed water toward the coast and onto land.

This can build walls of water — potentially as tall as 20 feet or more — which can quickly overpower walls and flood homes.

In 2005, during Hurricane Katrina, at least 1,500 people died “directly, or indirectly, as a result of storm surge,” according to the National Hurricane Center.

The risks can be even greater if storm surge combines with high tide, which could quickly create a catastrophic rise in water levels.

This article was initially published in 2018.

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Hurricane Milton is already causing travel disruptions as the storm takes aim at Florida’s west coast.

The hurricane is expected to make landfall as a Category 3 hurricane Wednesday night or early Thursday morning. Possible record storm surge is anticipated in the Tampa area. Flooding is also a risk throughout much of the state.

Mandatory evacuation orders have been issued for at least parts of 14 counties along Florida’s west coast, including in Charlotte, Citrus, Collier, Hernando, Hillsborough, Lee, Levy, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas and Volusia.

Several airports have announced temporary closures ahead of landfall.

Airport closures

Tampa International Airport suspended operations beginning at 9 a.m. on Tuesday and will remain closed to the public “until it can assess any damage after the storm,” airport officials said.

The St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport, just outside of Tampa, closed at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, and will remain closed on Wednesday and Thursday.

“The airport is in a mandatory evacuation zone and is not a public shelter,” airport officials tweeted. “Prepare and stay safe.”

The Sarasota Bradenton International Airport in Sarasota closed at 4 p.m. Tuesday and will reopen “once safe to do so,” airport officials tweeted.

Commercial operations stopped at the Orlando Executive Airport at 10 p.m. Tuesday and at the Orlando International Airport at 8 a.m. Wednesday, airport officials said. Both will reopen as soon as it’s safe.

“While these airports will cease commercial operations, they are not closed to emergency/aid and relief flights and will remain open as necessary,” airport officials said. “Commercial operations will resume as soon as possible based on damage assessment.”

Orlando Sanford International Airport in Sanford also suspended operations at 8 a.m. Wednesday, airport officials said, while advising passengers to “stay tuned for updates.”

Miami International Airport and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport will remain open and operational, with airport officials saying they are closely monitoring the storm.

Flight cancellations
More than 1,700 flights have been canceled throughout the U.S. as of Wednesday morning, according to FlightAware. Orlando International Airport has the most, followed by Tampa.

Airlines were operating larger aircraft and adding more flights to their schedules ahead of the hurricane and airport closures.

The Department of Transportation is monitoring flights in and out of areas affected by Milton to “make sure airlines are not charging excessively increasing fares,” Secretary Pete Buttigieg said on X.

Rail service changes

Amtrak announced it will operate a modified schedule due to Milton.

Among the changes, trains on its Silver Service route will terminate at Jacksonville through Thursday, not continuing on south to stops including Orlando, Tampa and Miami. Select trains on its Silver Service route will also originate at Jacksonville through Friday.

The company’s Auto Train Service, which runs between the Washington, D.C., and Orlando areas, is canceled through Thursday.

Brightline, Florida’s high-speed rail, is also adjusting some of its scheduled trips due to Milton, including ceasing operations on Wednesday and Thursday between West Palm Beach and Orlando.

“We will resume full operations after an assessment of track conditions once the storm has passed,” the rail service said in an update on X while advising passengers with reservations to refer to their email for updates.

Other travel updates

Florida’s Department of Transportation began locking down drawbridges Tuesday afternoon in coordination with the United States Coast Guard.

The department has suspended lane closures and active construction work on interstates within the storm’s path. Tolls have also been suspended across central and west Florida, it said.

The Florida Division of Emergency Services announced Monday it has partnered with Uber to provide free rides to and from shelters. Free shuttles to shelters were also operating Tuesday in counties with an evacuation order in place, it said.

ABC News’ Clara McMichael and Ayesha Ali contributed to this report.

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(TAMPA, Fla.) — As Danny Pownall looked through the piles of debris on the street in front of one of his rental properties in Redington Shores, Florida, he pointed out suitcases, beds and even a workout ball.

“Their lives just got flipped upside down, literally, and dumped on the street,” he said of residents still recovering from Hurricane Helene, which made landfall in Florida on Sept. 30 and then cut a path of destruction and death up through Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Tennessee.

Pownall told ABC News that Helene destroyed his home as well as some of his rental properties. As a line of dump trucks waited to pick up the piles of debris left by Helene, Pownall and other residents in the Tampa metropolitan area are bracing for Hurricane Milton, which the police chief of Tampa described as “the storm of the century.”

“We don’t know what this storm is going to do,” said Pownall, surveying the sagging second-floor terrace of one of his properties still standing. “That could be a one-two punch to take out this property.”

As of Tuesday, Milton was a Category 4 hurricane swirling in the Gulf of Mexico about 500 miles south-by-southwest of Tampa. It is expected to make landfall around 11 p.m. Wednesday between St. Petersburg and Sarasota, possibly as a Category 3 hurricane, officials said.

From Treasure Island near St. Petersburg to Sanibel Island near Fort Miles, officials are preparing for an emergency on top of the emergency left by Helene and issuing mandatory evacuations.

Florida officials warn that Milton is stacking up to be a monster, forecasting a 10-to-15-foot storm surge, nearly twice as high as what transpired in the area during Helene.

“I know that our residents, our staff, everyone is absolutely, purely exhausted from the recovery effort for Hurricane Helene, but we do need to start preparing for another potential serious hit from another hurricane,” Treasure Island Mayor Tyler Payne said in a video message to his community on Monday. “And you’re still trying to recover from that, and now we have to go through it all over again. But it is absolutely critical that you obey the evacuation orders when they are issued and really protect yourself at this point.”

Sarah Steslicki told ABC News on Tuesday that she has endured more than two decades of hurricanes since building her house in Belleair Beach near Tampa, but said she will decide at the last minute whether to evacuate to higher ground.

“We are still staying put. The storm has been delayed. It’s slowed down a bit. We want to make sure we know the path of the storm. Is it safer to stay at home or are we going to leave?” said Steslicki, adding that she lives on high ground and that her garage got about 2 inches of water during the 8-foot storm surge caused by Helene.

The last time multiple hurricanes hit Florida in such a short period was in 2004, when hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne pummeled the state in just six weeks.

“It was chaotic. They were spread out like a week apart,” Steslicki said of surviving the quadruple hit in 2004. “As soon as we’d put our patio furniture out, we’d have to bring it all back in.”

Milton is lining up for a direct hit on the Tampa metro area, which would be the first since 1921. In the time that has passed, the population of Hillsborough and Pinellas counties has grown 20 times over, now home to 2.5 million people.

“We built our house new about 20 years ago. So we know the construction. It’s concrete block,” Steslicki said. “We’d rather be in a safe environment and maybe be out of power and water than to be in jeopardy in a structure that’s not sound.”

Making matters worse, Steslicki said she and her family plan to travel to California on Saturday for her daughter’s wedding.

“It’s especially stressful for us. If there’s any kind of damage, we’re not going to cancel our daughter’s wedding,” Steslicki said.

Kevin Doyle, the co-owner of the Celtic Public House in Punta Gorda, near Fort Myers, said he was taking no chances after staying put during Hurricane Helene. He told ABC News on Tuesday and that he is evacuating south to Coral Gables on the east coast of southern Florida near Miami.

Doyle also survived the 2004 barrage of hurricanes. He said his pub and much of his town were destroyed by Hurricane Charley, which caused $16 billion in damage and, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, killed 18 people. Doyle spent seven years rebuilding his business only to see it damaged again by Hurricane Helene.

“It was treacherous; the worst thing to happen,” Doyle said of riding out Helene at home.

Doyle said Helene flooded his pub with up to 42 inches of water and damaged the inside of the business. He said his two cars were also destroyed by the flooding.

Doyle said he finished installing new drywall in his business “in record time” as officials began issuing warnings of Milton. He said he’s erected a 4-foot-high wall of sandbags around his pub hoping it will protect it.

“I’m just hoping it’s not as high as Helene,” he said.

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(WASHINGTON) — A first-of-its-kind survey has found that 3.3% of U.S. high school students identified as transgender in 2023, with another 2.2% identified as questioning.

The first nationally representative survey from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also highlights the multiple health disparities faced by transgender students who may experience gender dysphoria, stigma, discrimination, social marginalization or violence because they do not conform to social expectations of gender, the CDC reports.

These stressors increase the likelihood transgender youth and those who are questioning may experience mental health challenges, leading to disparities in health and well-being, according to the health agency.

Here are some of the findings:

More than a quarter (26%) of transgender and questioning students attempted suicide in the past year, compared to 5% of cisgender male and 11% of cisgender female students. The CDC urged schools to “create safer and more supportive environments for transgender and questioning students” to address these disparities, including inclusive activities, mental health and other health service referrals, and implementing policies that are LGBTQ-inclusive.

About 7 in 10 questioning students (69%) and transgender students (72%) experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, which the CDC states is a marker of depressive symptoms.

The CDC estimates 40% of transgender and questioning students have experienced bullying at school. About a quarter of transgender students (25.3%) and more than a quarter of questioning students (26.4%) skipped school because they felt unsafe, compared with 8.5% of cisgender male students.

Trans students were more likely to experience unstable housing in the last month than cisgender students. The CDC found 10.7% of trans students and 10% of questioning students said they experienced unstable housing, compared to 2.1% of cisgender males and 1.8% of cisgender females.

The CDC noted this disparity is likely caused of discrimination, such as family rejection.

Additionally, “transgender students might experience discrimination, harassment, and assault among foster, shelter, and other social service providers that make this population less likely to be sheltered when experiencing unstable housing, compounding their vulnerability to experiences of violence, poor mental health, and suicidal thoughts and behaviors,” the report states.

The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System regularly surveys more than 20,000 high school students in both public and private schools nationwide to monitor adolescent behavior over time to identify key issues and health needs.

If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide or worried about a friend or loved one, call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 for free, confidential emotional support 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

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