Watch: View of Tampa as Florida braced for ‘catastrophic’ Hurricane Milton

Watch a view of Tampa on Wednesday (9 October) as Florida braced for “catastrophic” Hurricane Milton.

Millions of residents raced to evacuate as the storm approached landfall on the state’s western coast.

The storm, which had sustained wind speeds of 160mph, was predicted to make landfall on Wednesday evening or in the early hours of Thursday morning.

President Joe Biden warned that evacuation orders for Floridians were a matter of “life and death”, while the National Hurricane Center warned Milton could be “one of the most destructive hurricanes on record for west-central Florida.”

Governor Ron DeSantis warned Floridians that “time is running out” for them to evacuate.

“You may have a window where it may be safe, but you may not,” he said. “So, use today as your day to finalise and execute the plan that is going to protect you and your family.”