'Major global event': Milton could be western Florida's Hurricane Katrina, supply chain expert warns
Milton is poised to become one of the most destructive hurricanes on record for west-central Florida. One leading supply chain expert says the storm's intensity and unprecedented track have the potential to cause long-lasting impacts on energy, agriculture, tourism and supply chains.
Hurricane, Storm Surge Warnings expand across Florida as dangerous Milton takes aim at state
Hurricane Warnings and Storm Surge Warnings have expanded to Florida's east coast as potentially deadly Hurricane Milton continues to spin across the Gulf of Mexico on a path that will bring the monster storm into the Sunshine State on Wednesday.
TAMPA, Fla. – Hurricane Milton is a monster storm and represents a major threat to Florida's Gulf Coast region.
Just as Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans in 2005, one leading supply chain expert warns that Milton could be a catastrophic event for the west coast of Florida.
"We don’t know the details of that right now, but it certainly has all the makings," Everstream Analytics chief meteorologist Jon Davis told FOX Weather.
People are stranded on a roof due to flood waters from Hurricane Katrina on August 30, 2005, in New Orleans, Louisiana.
(POOL/AFP / Getty Images)
‘We’ve never seen anything like this’
The storm is poised to become one of the most destructive hurricanes on record for west-central Florida. Davis said its intensity and unprecedented track have the potential to cause long-lasting impacts on energy, agriculture, tourism and supply chains.
This unique eastward trajectory across the Gulf of Mexico increases the risk for areas along the west coast of Florida, especially Tampa Bay – one of the fastest-growing areas in the U.S., according Davis.
"We’ve never seen anything like this," he said.
Satellite imagery released by the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere at Colorado State University shows lightning in the storm’s eyewall on Monday morning.
(CSU/CIRA & NOAA)
While the storm is not expected to directly strike major offshore oil and gas production areas, it will likely shut down operations in the southern and eastern portions of the Gulf of Mexico, Davis adds.
This will lead to disruptions in oil and natural gas supply.
"The extent of that will come down to how, overall, Milton interacts with the Tampa area – does it go right over Tampa? Does it go just north? Or just south?" Davis told FOX Weather. "But, suffice it to say, we are going to have major power issues and major loss of power across the central portion of the Florida Peninsula."
From an agricultural standpoint, the crop of the biggest concern is citrus.
Davis said Milton's path is expected to intersect with Florida's citrus belt, potentially causing severe damage to trees and leading to production losses for years to come.
"It looks like there will be major issues by late Wednesday and Thursday," he noted.
Oranges harvested by workers for Sorrells Brothers Packing Co., Inc wait for transport from the fields July 13, 2006 in Arcadia, Florida.
(Joe Raedle / Getty Images)
According to Davis, Florida's tourism industry, especially in the Tampa area, will likely experience significant disruptions. Infrastructure damage and widespread power outages will force many businesses to close temporarily. The recovery process is expected to take weeks if not months.
"The amount of tourist dollars that occur … looks like it is going to be severely impacted over the next two or three days," he said. "This will be a long-term situation overall, much like what we saw with Helene a couple of weeks ago."
WILL DISNEY WORLD AND UNIVERSAL ORLANDO BE CLOSED FOR HURRICANE MILTON?
Still recovering from Helene, Tampa Bay area prepares for Hurricane Milton
FOX Weather Storm Specialist Mike Seidel is in Madeira Beach, Florida where crews are quickly trying to clean up debris from Hurricane Helene before Hurricane Milton arrives. Milton is forecast to bring 8 to 12 feet of storm surge and hurricane-force winds to the Tampa Bay area.
The combination of Milton and the recent devastation caused by Helene will further exacerbate supply chain disruptions in the region, according to Davis.
Areas that were previously impacted following Helene's landfall, such as the Big Bend of Florida and parts of North Tampa, may face even more severe consequences.
A boarded up shop ahead of Hurricane Milton's expected landfall in Treasure Island, Florida, US, on Monday, Oct. 7, 2024.
(Tristan Wheelock/Bloomberg / Getty Images)
"From a weather situation perspective, this is going to be a major global event," Davis said. "This is going to be the kind of event potentially that we are going to talk about for many years."