Milton 'erratically' approaches Florida, likely to become major hurricane

Hurricane Milton was moving "erratically" through the Gulf of Mexico toward Florida on Monday, the US National Hurricane Center said, warning it will likely soon become a major hurricane.

The Category 1 hurricane is the second recent storm to threaten the Florida coast, which was left reeling from Helene's catastrophic winds and storm surge 10 days ago.

Milton was sustaining wind speeds of nearly 90 miles (145 kilometers) an hour at 1 am (0600 GMT) on Monday and "is forecast to intensify rapidly and become a major hurricane later today," the NHC said in its latest advisory.

Major hurricanes -- categories 3 and above -- carry minimum wind speeds of 111 miles (178 kilometers) an hour, according to the NHC, which warns "devastating damage will occur" to even well-built homes, while "electricity and water will be unavailable for several days to weeks after the storm passes".

Officials are issuing mandatory evacuation orders for parts of Pasco County and Anna Maria Island near Tampa starting Monday, with the hurricane expected to approach Florida's west coast on Wednesday.

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor told CNN that the city was "still cleaning up from Helene" and that the rain from the new storm would be "difficult enough, not to mention the storm surge and wind damage."

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has declared 51 of the state's 67 counties under a state of emergency, predicting Milton could have "major, major impacts."

President Joe Biden was briefed on Milton and said in a statement his administration was readying "life-saving resources."

Milton is forecast to move north of the Yucatan Peninsula and across the southern Gulf of Mexico Monday and Tuesday, the NHC said.

Its storm surge will "raise water levels by as much as 2 to 4 feet (0.6 to 1.2 meters) above ground level" along the northern Yucatan coast and cause "large and destructive waves," it said Monday.

- Disinformation blitz -

Hurricane Helene roared into the Florida coastline as a Category 4 storm and carved a path of destruction inland, dumping torrential rainfall and causing flash flooding in remote towns in states such as North Carolina.

The storm, which struck Florida on September 26, has killed more than 225 people across a handful of states -- making it the deadliest natural disaster to hit the United States since 2005's Hurricane Katrina -- with the toll still rising.

Relief workers are racing to find survivors and get power and drinking water to remote mountainous communities.

However, that effort has been hit by a wave of false claims and conspiracy theories.

Among the litany of disinformation is the falsehood pushed by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump that relief funds have been misappropriated by his rival for the White House, Democrat Kamala Harris, and redirected toward migrants.

The head of the US disaster relief agency has lashed out at a "dangerous" misinformation war being waged over the aftermath.

"It's frankly ridiculous and just plain false ... it's really a shame that we're putting politics ahead of helping people," Deanne Criswell, head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), told ABC.

The Trump campaign nevertheless doubled down, repeating the assertion in a statement Sunday.

FEMA and outside fact-checkers note that a program under the agency's aegis to provide shelter and aid to migrants is funded directly by Congress, entirely separate from disaster-related funding.

ABC reported that law enforcement officials are monitoring threats toward FEMA officials and other recovery agencies prompted by the disinformation.

In addition to Trump's false claim, the Washington Post reported Sunday on other lies about Helene that it said were "adding to the chaos and confusion."

They include a false claim that a dam was about to burst, which the Post said prompted hundreds of people to evacuate unnecessarily, and a "troubling" lie that officials planned to bulldoze bodies under the rubble in one North Carolina town.

One user suggested "a militia go against fema" in a post on social media platform X that has received more than half a million views.

Asked about that post, Criswell said it "has a tremendous impact on the comfort level of our own employees to be able to go out there."

FEMA has begun debunking the rumors online, as have North Carolina authorities.