Milton's storm surge could reach record-breaking levels. Here's what that looks like

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Milton's storm surge could reach record-breaking levels. Here's what that looks like #usnews,

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00:00One of the biggest concerns with Hurricane Milton is storm surge.

00:03The National Weather Service forecasting life-threatening storm surge levels here.

00:07So the basics.

00:08A storm surge is a rapid rise in water levels caused by strong winds pushing water onshore.

00:13In parts of Florida, we're talking 12 to 15 feet of water from this storm in a surge.

00:20And I want to give you an idea of what that really means beyond just the numbers.

00:25This shows you a storm surge of about two feet.

00:28At this level, low-lying coastal roads would be inundated with water.

00:33The next stage would be a surge of five to eight feet.

00:36This is enough to submerge cars.

00:39But remember, Milton is expected to bring much worse.

00:42Storm surge of 10 plus feet in places.

00:47And this is taller than a city bus.

00:50The average first floor of a commercial building is typically around 14 feet high.

00:55And Milton storm surge could reach a foot higher than that.

00:59So it is impossible to know with certainty at this point where this is all going to hit

01:04and when.

01:06But the places that are facing these catastrophic levels of surge are from Tampa on south.

01:11We're talking Sarasota, Venice, Port Charlotte, Punta Gorda.

01:15This is how high it could get there.

01:18And when you see the surge, this surge in relation to just an average human in a normal

01:25sized room, it is clear why officials are saying get out now.

01:30Yeah.

01:31And Kate, even with warnings like that and demonstrations like that, there are some people

01:36who are choosing to ride out the storm.

01:39With us now is Bridget Stone-Budd, who lives on Sanibel Island.

01:44And we should note, Sanibel was cut off from Hurricane Ian.

01:46I mean, you've been through things like this before, yet you were choosing to stay with

01:51storm surges that could reach well over 10 feet.

01:54Why did you make that decision?

01:59We don't.

02:00We don't really make a decision each time.

02:02It's just we just don't leave.

02:04We just don't leave our home.

02:07Why not?

02:08We haven't on any of them, Charlie, Irma, Helene, Ian.

02:17Why do you choose to stay?

02:19Why is it important for you to stay?

02:25I think the most important thing is that we know we won't be able to get back.

02:31That's the number one reason.

02:34Number two is for us, we would rather withstand the storm than live in an arena with 100 or

02:481,000 people or in motels, hotels with three dogs.

02:55It's just something that we've never...

02:57I don't want to say we don't fear the storm.

02:59We certainly fear the storms and the hurricanes.

03:04We just choose to ride it out.

03:10We just do.

03:12We've been through...

03:16Charlie was the first one I went through in 2004, and then Ian was definitely the worst

03:21because of the surge that we had never gotten before.

03:25We at this point had the highest of a 12-foot surge.

03:32I know that our house can withstand it.

03:35It's just a matter of when I finish up with you today, I've got to finish bringing everything

03:39up to our upper level.

03:42Talk to me about that.

03:43Where are you sitting right now?

03:4412 feet of storm surge.

03:47Would that come up to where you are?

03:49How do you prepare for something like this?

03:54Everything goes in my house, into the living room.

03:57I've got lots of product, et cetera, downstairs.

04:03Our porch that my husband built, we live out here on the porch.

04:12We have a house inside.

04:14The water with Ian came up to where our feet are on here.

04:21The surge came all the way up to the bottom of our porch.

04:28Our home, we got the spray and that kind of damage, but we didn't get the surge in

04:35our home up here.

04:37It could come in even higher this time.

04:39What does worry you the most?

04:44What worries me the most?

04:51I think what worries me the most, even though I don't think it will happen, but what worries

04:55me the most is losing a pylon because I look at what has happened for Helene, those houses

05:03that got swept away down rushing waters.

05:07I feel safe up here on our stilted home, but if we were to lose a pylon and the house wasn't

05:18sturdy, that scares me the most.

05:20What used to scare me the most was the surge.

05:24Listen, Bridgestone Bud, we do wish you the best.

05:27I know that you try to help out with others who stayed.

05:31You did after Ian, you know, again, just wish you the best.

05:34Please stay safe over the next 24 hours.

05:37Moments ago, Orlando International Airport has suspended all commercial operations.

05:42It is the latest in what has now become a long list of Florida airports to have to shut

05:47down as Hurricane Milton is barreling towards the state.

05:51People planning to ride out the storm now only have hours to gather any last supplies

05:55and they really need to hunker down no matter where they are.

05:58Let's get over to CNN's Victor Blackwell.

06:01He's he's in Orlando, where also conditions seem to be deteriorating.

06:06What do you see and what are you hearing from people there?

06:08Yeah, Kate, there's been some steady rain here for several hours and the steady stream

06:16of people coming to this Home Depot right off I-4 to get the last minute supplies.

06:20The flashlights, the plywood, the battery generators.

06:23I spoke with the manager of this store just a couple of minutes ago and he says that they

06:27have not run out of those supplies.

06:30But this store will be closing at 3 p.m. as the worst of Milton comes ashore.

06:34And this really is an interesting place in Florida where you have both people who are

06:39trying to get away from this part of the state, tourists from all over the world are here

06:44for the parks, but also evacuees who've come here from those Zone A evacuation spaces,

06:50the Tampas, the St. Pete, to get away from the storm surge.

06:54Now, in Orlando, storm surge really is not the major concern.

06:57There will be hurricane force winds here, so there will be downed trees and power outages

07:03are certainly expected.

07:04It is the flooding.

07:05It's the rain.

07:06And so central Florida can handle a rainy day maybe better than other parts of the state,

07:12but it's the amount of rain.

07:13Up to 15 inches forecast for this area.

07:17And the storm water control systems, the streams, Lake Davis, which flooded heavily in isolated

07:23communities in Ian in 2022, just cannot accommodate that.

07:27So city workers have been out trying to clear the drains, prepare for all this rain.

07:33We know that Orange County has opened several high schools and elementary schools for shelters.

07:39They've had sandbag operations for several days, although those have ended now.

07:45We know that Mayor Buddy Dyer will be working at the top of the hour, meeting with the emergency

07:50operations managers to make sure that the city is prepared for the worst of the storm.

07:57That's the EOC is going to be opening at four o'clock and they'll be around the clock ready

08:02to respond to any of those emergencies.

08:04Fire and rescue.

08:05Once those winds get too strong, about 40 miles per hour, consistent and stained wind

08:10winds, they will not be able to go out and respond to some of those emergencies.

08:15So they're standing by preparing.

08:17This is a choreographed dance that they do, but not for a storm of this size and strength

08:24in a very long time.

08:26Kate.

08:27Yeah.

08:28Victor, thank you so much for being there.

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