More than a million residents in Florida have been ordered to evacuate due to Hurricane Milton, a powerful Category 5 storm predicted to be the most severe in more than a hundred years.

Milton has caught meteorologists by surprise, evolving from a tropical storm to a Category 5 hurricane within just 48 hours. The hurricane is expected to hit near Tampa by late Wednesday.

“This may be the worst storm to hit Florida in over a century,” US President Joe Biden told reporters.

Governor Ron DeSantis warned the residents of Florida to take the storm warnings seriously, stressing that the time for safe evacuations is closing.

He said, “If you’re going to get out, get out right now.” He also mentioned, “Almost every location along Florida’s west coast might face significant storm surges.”

Florida is still recovering from the severe damage caused by Hurricane Helene less than two weeks ago. The Category 4 hurricane hit the Big Bend region near the state capital of Tallahassee, before causing major flooding in Georgia and the Carolinas.

Milton is a more powerful storm, with wind gusts over 320 km/h and a record-breaking number of ‘lightning strikes,’ according to meteorologists.

It’s not just residents that are evacuating to safer places in the north and south of the state, but the Florida Aquarium in Tampa is also taking precautions.

It has moved its penguins, snakes, lizards, alligators, turtles, toads, and crabs to higher ground to protect them from flooding.

Meanwhile, the state’s department of corrections has relocated 4,636 inmates from prisons and jails in the storm’s anticipated path.

lready, over 1,500 flights scheduled for Wednesday to and from Florida have been canceled.

Tampa International Airport closed on Tuesday, and Orlando International announced it will suspend operations on Wednesday morning.