Florida Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for 51 of the state's 67 counties late on Sunday, saying that Hurricane Milton could have "major, major impacts" with storm surges of up to 6 meters (20 feet) of water.

The news had Floridians preparing for their largest evacuation in seven years, since Hurricane Irma devastated the state in 2017. Already on Sunday, Gulf Coast residents complained of chaos at gas stations and thick road traffic with heavy rains already underway.

"Right now, we are still cleaning up from Helene," said Jane Castor, the mayor of the coastal city of Tampa, to broadcaster CNN.

On Monday, Milton began gathering strength over the southern Gulf of Mexico and was upgraded to a Category 2 hurricane.

Florida expecting 'major impacts'

Governor DeSantis said that while it remains to be seen where Milton will land, people needed to prepare as it was likely to hit the state hard.

"I don't think there's any scenario where we don't have major impacts at this point," he said.

"You have time to prepare — all day today, all day Monday, probably all day Tuesday to be sure your hurricane preparedness plan is in place," DeSantis said. "If you're on that west coast of Florida, barrier islands, just assume you'll be asked to leave."

At least 230 people have lost their lives due to Hurricane Helene, which swept through the eastern US less than two weeks ago.

US President Joe Biden said his administration was readying "life-saving resources" ahead of Milton's predicted landfall on US soil early on Wednesday.

FEMA blasts Trump's 'dangerous narrative'

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was not only fighting storm damage on Sunday, but also misinformation after Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump claimed  Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris misappropriated funds meant for Helen victims.

"It's frankly ridiculous and just plain false ... it's really a shame that we're putting politics ahead of helping people," FEMA chief Deanne Criswell told US news channel ABC. 

Criswell added that the "dangerous narrative" was "adding to the chaos and confusion" as FEMA rushed to locate remaining Helene survivors and bring power back to devastated coastal regions. 

Trump also made the false claim on social media site X that hurrican victims were only being given $750 in aid despite massive property damage. FEMA has clarified that the $750 is only an initial sum meant for immediate needs such as food, water, and clothing.

Scientists have warned that man-made climate breakdown has made extreme weather events more frequent and more intense, and will continue to do so.

es/ab (AP, AFP)