📢 Everbridge Global Flashpoint
Supply Chain Disruptions Reported as Hurricane Milton Nears Catastrophic Landfall South of Tampa
Hurricane Milton continues to near the western Florida coast as a Category 5 storm and is forecast to make landfall on Wednesday night or early Thursday as at least a Category 3 storm with winds of at least 120 miles per hour. In its most recent update on Tuesday, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) has noted a slight shift for Milton, which is now forecast to make landfall just south of the Tampa area, near Bradenton. Florida officials have ordered the evacuation of millions of residents from the western Florida coast and authorities have warned residents and businesses that all storm preparations, including evacuations, should be completed by Tuesday night. Catastrophic storm surge and wind damage are expected between Fort Myers and Tampa, with peak storm surge between 10 to 15 feet possible. The storm has forced the closure of multiple airports in the region, including Tampa, Sarasota, St Petersburg, and Orlando. In addition, all western Florida coast ports ceased operations on Tuesday, including the Port of Tampa.
Assessment: The slight shift in landfall may spare the Tampa area from a worst-case scenario. However, the exact area of landfall may continue to shift in the next 24 hours and regardless, the region is still expected to experience catastrophic storm surge. Though it has yet to make landfall, Milton has already caused significant supply chain disruptions across Florida, highlighted by the port and airport closures. According to GasBuddy, around 15 percent of gas stations in the state were reporting shortages as of Tuesday afternoon, including around 27 percent of stations in Fort Myers/Naples, 24 percent in Gainesville, and 43 percent in Tampa/St Petersburg. These shortages are not expected to extend beyond the state of Florida as it has a relatively unique supply chain that will limit the impacts beyond Florida, compared to if a storm was making landfall near Houston or New Orleans, where many refineries are located.
As NHC notes, all preparations for Milton should be made by Tuesday as conditions will deteriorate rapidly Tuesday night into Wednesday night. Extensive power outages should be anticipated across much of Florida as the storm will cross over the Orlando area as a hurricane before moving into the Atlantic Ocean on Friday. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the state of Florida have resources for preparation and response efforts, which can be viewed at the following links: https://lnkd.in/g9UmBrh and https://lnkd.in/etnDGuNp.
Everbridge’s Risk Intelligence Monitoring Center (RIMC) will continue to provide real-time updates and additional risk intelligence as it becomes available.
