In a dramatic turn of events, ill passengers were urgently evacuated from a luxury cruise ship, the Sun Princess, amidst the turbulent Atlantic Ocean.
The vessel was left stranded off the coast of Florida, awaiting the fury of Hurricane Milton. The Sun Princess was compelled to reverse course before it could reach its destination, Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, which was to be its "winter homeport."
As reported by The New York Post, the Category 5 hurricane, deemed "dangerous," is currently bearing down on Florida's west coast, prompting the eastern side of the state to brace for the storm's arrival on the Atlantic coast. In anticipation of the hurricane, the US Coast Guard escalated Port Everglades to "Port Condition YANKEE" on Monday, indicating the expectation of gale force winds within the next 24 hours.
The vacationers aboard the Sun Princess were left in a precarious situation as the new ship was unable to reach its destination. All docked vessels were ordered to vacate the port, and incoming ships were barred from entry. "Due to the hurricane, Port Everglades where the ship would stop is closed and the ship is stranded five miles off the coast of Florida for the storm," Ben Barry informed SWNS.
The sick passengers on the Sun Princess were airlifted back to mainland US, though their exact location remains undisclosed, particularly as most of the Florida peninsula is under evacuation and curfew orders. The Sun Princess had set sail on a 25-day, one-way journey from Barcelona, Spain, to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on September 14, with an expected arrival on October 9. The ship is currently navigating the waters between the Bahamas and Cuba, according to CruiseMapper.
Hurricane Milton, still a Category 5 storm, is furiously advancing towards the west-central coast of Florida, moving northeast at 12 mph. The storm, predicted to make landfall late Wednesday or early Thursday, could cause catastrophic storm surges of between 10 and 15 feet in some areas, including Tampa, with expected rainfall of 6 to 12 inches. As of 5 a.m. Wednesday, the storm was located 300 miles from Tampa, as per the National Hurricane Center.
Milton regained strength on Tuesday after a slight weakening from its status as one of the most potent Category 5 storms on record. By evening, wind speeds had increased to 160 mph, restoring the storm to Category 5 intensity. Officials have implored residents in evacuation zones to leave. "If you choose to stay you are going to die," Tampa Mayor Jane Castor candidly told CNN, warning of a "literally catastrophic" major hurricane heading towards the Sunshine State.
Despite the stern warning, 80-year-old Charlotte Farrell from Ruskin off Cockroach Bay told The Post that she has no plans to leave. "Everyone says I should go to a shelter for this one, my son says I need to. I havent decided yet. Im not leaving town, this is my home. But I can decide to go to the middle school later if I want shelter there," she said, referring to Shields Middle School, which has been designated as a shelter. "The police went door to door yesterday telling us that we should get out, mostly because this is a trailer and were in a flood zone. They said its mandatory, but if we dont, were responsible for what happens to us.
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