Video: Floridians brace for Hurricane Milton; cover homes, cars with plastic

Hurricane Milton, a powerful Category 4 storm, is expected to make landfall near Sarasota in Florida, late Wednesday night.

Milton churned toward Florida’s west coast, putting the Tampa Bay area—home to over 3.3 million people—at risk of widespread destruction. This region had avoided major hurricane impacts for over a century, but mass evacuations led to congested highways as residents prepared for Milton’s potentially historic impact.

Communities in and around Tampa Bay were still recovering from Hurricane Helene, which struck less than two weeks prior.

The National Weather Service in Tampa Bay described Milton as "a historic storm for the west coast of Florida," warning that it could be the worst hurricane to hit Tampa Bay in over a century.