TAMPA, FLORIDA – OCTOBER 09: Tampa looks deserted as residents prepare for the arrival of Hurricane Milton on October 09, 2024 in Tampa, Florida. Milton, which comes just after the recent catastrophic Hurricane Helene, has strengthened to a Category 4 storm as it approaches Florida’s Gulf Coast and is expected to make landfall late Wednesday. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
A “catastrophic” Hurricane Milton was closing in on the storm-battered state of Florida on Wednesday as…