Hurricane Milton roars toward Florida's Gulf Coast, likely sparing Long Island

Hurricane Milton, now a Category 5 storm, won't be tracking near Long Island this week. But it's roaring toward the Florida peninsula, and is forecast to cut a path through that state.

Long Island's weather looks to be mostly sunny through the weekend. Milton, meanwhile, has been rapidly intensifying off the Yucatan in the Gulf of Mexico, and is predicted to make landfall in Florida midweek, packing winds of up to 180 mph.

The storm is expected to pass well south of Long Island, heading out toward the Atlantic Ocean and Bermuda when it leaves Florida after doing what is expected to be significant damage.

Milton is predicted to be one the most powerful storms to hit Florida in recent history, and will bring travel to and from the Sunshine State to a standstill.

Orlando International Airport will suspend commercial and private flights on Wednesday morning and resume service once damage is assessed. It will stay open for emergency aid and relief flights. Tampa International Airport says it will suspend operations beginning at 9 a.m. Tuesday and remain closed until damage can be assessed.

Major cruise ship lines put alerts online about route and scheduling changes due to the hurricane. Nathaniel Derrenbacher, of Royal Caribbean, said his line has adjusted "certain sailings for the comfort and safety of their passengers."

Floridians, including ex-Long Islanders, long veterans of storm preparation, were getting ready.

For more than 20 years, Vincent McManus played a critical role in dealing with natural disasters in his work in emergency planning and management at the Nassau County Fire Marshal's Office. Now, said McManus, who lived in Lynbrook before moving to Florida full time in 2018: “Instead of teaching the lessons, I'm actually, you know, having to carry out the lessons myself.”

Getting ready for Milton, McManus and his wife are trying to stormproof their home in Lake Worth Beach, which is on Florida’s eastern coast. They purchased additional bottles of water and have flashlights and a solar-powered charger to keep his cellphone going.

“And there's, you know, not much more you can really do except hunker down and follow the advice of the professionals and our weather people,” he said.

Despite the impending weather, McManus, 62, said he doesn’t regret the move, noting that he lost a home in Superstorm Sandy and that weather events can happen in different places.

And yet, he added, “It beats snow.”

Many Florida residents catching flights back home from MacArthur Airport Monday afternoon said they were preparing for the storm, but not overly worried about its impact. Monique Quintana said her adult children have things under control at their home in Lehigh Acres, south of Tampa. They set up “hurricane shutters, sandbags” and stocked up on “necessary supplies. ... It’s all up and ready to go by the time I get home,” she said.

East Moriches’ Rachel Webb was hopping a flight to Tampa Monday to help those in need.

She and her husband, Jared Schaefer, own a pair of airboats that she said her husband picked up from their home in Louisiana Monday and he is now waiting for her to arrive in Lakeland, Florida. With these vehicles, which she said can travel on at least 1 inch of water, they can transport those who need rescue.

“We’re heading into where there’s a mandatory evacuation,” Webb said. “We’re just gonna go down there and see what we can do ... We’re in a position where we are able to help.”

The couple will also meet workers of their pool and landscaping company who she said will be delivering fuel to AT&T facilities to power generators and keep communication systems running during the storm.

“We don’t know what to expect,” she said. “We’re just kind of going out there and, who knows, we might need rescuing ourselves.”