AccuWeather Correspondent Leslie Hudson reports from Madeira Beach, Florida, where residents have been ordered to evacuate no later than 7 p.m., local time, during last-minute Milton preparations.
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00:00Well, just a few hours left for folks to make those last minute preps here in
00:05Pinellas County. As you can see over my shoulder, there is a heavy police
00:08presence. Every car is being stopped and checked before it's allowed to go into
00:13these barrier islands. Unless you're an emergency worker or official personnel,
00:17they are turning cars around and everybody emergency personnel, hotel
00:21staff residents, there shouldn't be any residents over there, but anyone that's
00:25left will have to leave this area no later than seven p.m. Tonight. Now,
00:30folks have been working around the clock to try and get that debris left
00:34from Helene out of this island, but there's just too much of it. And of
00:38course, there is going to be some left. We saw a lot of dump trucks in these
00:43barrier islands these last couple of days trying to make that valiant effort
00:46to try and get what they can. There's real heavy machinery in here to try and
00:50get some of the larger furniture out. And also there's stoves, there's
00:55appliances, there's couches, there's beds. Everything has been gutted in
01:00Pinellas County and sitting along these roadways. They've done a great job
01:03trying to get it out of here. Unfortunately, some of it will remain.
01:06Mandatory evacuations are up, of course, and everyone will have to be in place
01:10tonight. Of course, the weather expected to rapidly deteriorate. It's
01:14misleading to see a sunny, beautiful day here in western central florida when
01:18we know what is looming in the gulf of Mexico for this area in the coming days
01:22reporting in Pinellas County. I'm Leslie Hudson.