The brooding storm over the Gulf of Mexico known as Hurricane Milton continues to grow more worrisome as of Monday afternoon, with the latest estimates placing it as a Category 5 hurricane with winds reaching 160 miles per hour. The storm is projected to move east across Florida, bringing heavy winds and flooding to much of the central part of the state.
Volusia County and the surrounding areas are expected to be hit with significant winds and flooding over the course of the week, making up for what the area missed during Hurricane Helene.
Gov. Ron DeSantis has placed 51 counties in Florida under a state of emergency, including Volusia, Flagler, St. Johns, Putnam, Lake, and Seminole. The region is expected to receive extremely heavy rainfall, and potentially devastating flooding.
Volusia Schools announced on Monday that Tuesday would be an early release day, with schools being closed on Wednesday and Thursday. The status of school functions Friday are still to be announced as of Monday afternoon.
As per the most recent data made available by the Volusia County Emergency Management Department, there are a slew of locations across the county in which sandbags will be made available to residents to protect their homes from flooding.
