The Mayor of Bolton has been forced to leave part of Florida where he was enjoying a break with the Mayoress as a hurricane gathers strength.

Cllr Andy Morgan and Mayoress Karen Holdsworth have been evacuated from Sanibel Island in Florida following the development of Hurricane Milton.

Hurricane Milton has rapidly strengthened to become a Category 5 as it heads towards population centres in the US state of Florida, including Tampa and Orlando.

The hurricane threatens a dangerous storm surge in Tampa Bay and sets the stage for potential mass evacuations less than two weeks after the catastrophic Hurricane Helene swamped the coastline.

Cllr Morgan and the Mayoress who were evacuated from the island following an order from the mayor today (Monday October 7).

Cllr Morgan said: “We stayed on Sanibel Island, a small island off the coast of Fort Myers.

“The mayor issued a mandatory evacuation order and we have made our way off the island to Napels and are now staying with friends at their apartment.

“Mass evacuation orders in place over wide parts of the country’s in anticipation of Hurricane Milton making land fall early evening on Wednesday.

(Image: Andy Morgan)

“Everyone prepping just in case of power loss and flooding come Wednesday.

“We are in a second-floor apartment so hopefully all will be well but it is the local residents and businesses that will take the full force of the storm and so soon after storm Helene that affected the same areas a couple of weeks ago.

“Everyone is pulling together, and the authorities seem to be very well organised at making the necessary precautions to reduce the damage to property and reduce ultimately any loss of life.

(Image: Andy Morgan)

“Thousands of vehicles are queueing on the local highways and moving away from the areas that are projected to be most affected by the storm.”

The Mayor and Mayoress were also evacuated during their trip to Florida two years ago following Hurricane Ian.

Milton had maximum sustained winds of 160mph over the southern Gulf of Mexico, the US National Hurricane Centre in Miami said.

The storm could make landfall on Wednesday in the Tampa Bay area and may remain a hurricane as it moves across central Florida towards the Atlantic Ocean.

That path would largely spare other south-eastern US states ravaged by Helene, which caused widespread damage from northern Florida to the Appalachian Mountains and killed at least 230 people.

The Tampa Bay area is still cleaning up extensive damage from Helene and its powerful surge. Twelve people died, with the worst damage along a 20-mile string of barrier islands from St Petersburg to Clearwater.

(Image: Chris O'Meara)

Florida governor Ron DeSantis said on Monday that it was imperative that messes from Helene be cleaned up ahead of Milton’s arrival so they do not become dangerous flying projectiles.

“We don’t have time for bureaucracy and red tape,” Mr DeSantis said. “We have to get the job done.”

Hillsborough County, home to Tampa, ordered evacuations for areas adjacent to Tampa Bay and for all mobile and manufactured homes by Tuesday night.

“Yes, this stinks. We know that, and it comes on the heels of where a lot of us are still recovering from Hurricane Helene,” Sheriff Chad Chronister said. “But if you safeguard your families, you will be alive.”

“If you remain there, you could die and my men and women could die trying to rescue you,” Hillsborough Fire Rescue Chief Jason Dougherty said. “Help them by leaving.”

“This is the real deal here with Milton,” Tampa mayor Jane Castor said at a news conference. “If you want to take on Mother Nature, she wins 100% of the time.”

(Image: NOAA)

Milton’s centre was about 150 miles (240km) west of Progreso, Mexico, and about 735 miles (1,185km) southwest of Tampa on Monday morning, moving east-southeast at 8mph (13kph), according to the hurricane centre.

On beaches in the St Pete Beach area, where Helene’s storm surge flooded homes and businesses, lifeguards removed beach chairs and other items on Monday that could become projectiles in hurricane winds.

Schools including the University of Central Florida in Orlando announced they would close in the middle of the week, and Walt Disney World said it was monitoring the hurricane but operating normally for the time being.

All road tolls were suspended in western central Florida. The St Pete-Clearwater International Airport said it would close after the last flight Tuesday, and Tampa International Airport said it planned to halt airline and cargo flights starting on Tuesday morning.