Dr Steven Godby, an expert in natural hazards in Nottingham Trent University’s School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences, told Express.co.uk: “Tampa has long been regarded as the most vulnerable metropolitan area in the United States to storm surge flooding.
“Direct hurricane strikes on the west coast of Florida are rare, but much of it is low-lying and the relatively shallow water offshore makes it vulnerable to large storm surges.
“The last major hurricane (Category 3 on the Saffir-Simpson scale) to affect the Tampa Bay region made landfall in on 25 October 1921, bringing a storm surge of 3-3.5 metres and winds of 185 km/h that caused losses that today would be $180 million.“With Hurricane Milton bearing down on Tampa it is worth noting that the population at that time was around 160,000 and has now swelled to over 3 million, many living on ground less than 3 metres above sea level.
“Large numbers of homes, schools, government buildings and critical infrastructure are at risk of flooding and wind damage. Any debris left uncleared from Hurricane Helene two weeks ago may add to the risk by becoming projectiles in the severe winds forecast.
“The authorities having been stressing that people living along this coast have no living memory of this kind of storm, need to evacuate if instructed to do so and to be somewhere safe by Tuesday night.
“Wind damage, heavy rain and flooding are anticipated inland as Milton crosses the Florida peninsula.”