Hurricane Milton dropped to a Category 4 early Wednesday as it churns toward Florida’s west coast. The National Hurricane Center had predicted it would likely weaken, but remain a major hurricane when it makes landfall late Wednesday or early Thursday.
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The Tampa Bay area, home to more than 3.3 million people, faced the possibility of widespread destruction after avoiding direct hits from major hurricanes for more than a century.
Emergency managers now plan to start working on damage prediction models.
The models were developed before the storm, with plans specific to various parts of the state, said Kevin Guthrie, executive director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management.
The plans will be used to project where the most damage is likely to be, based on the hurricane’s last position and movement at landfall, he said.
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Governor DeSantis has described a wide range of resources to help respond to Milton.