Flooding amid storm surges and heavy rains is a key concern when any hurricane strikes, but Florida is now particularly vulnerable. Protective sand dunes washed away by Hurricane Helene mean that there are fewer defenses than before, while the ground is already saturated in some areas.

Hurricane Milton’s forecast cone covers almost the entire west coast of Florida as the state prepared for the largest mass evacuation since 2017. Milton could be a major hurricane when it

Hurricane Milton rapidly intensified Monday morning into a dangerous major hurricane over the southern Gulf of Mexico and is on track to deliver yet another devastating blow to the Sunshine State less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene ravaged parts of Florida’s west coast and sweeping Big Bend.