Millions of Floridians have been ordered to evacuate as Hurricane Milton was upgraded to a Category 5 Monday, Oct. 7, as it continues along its path toward the Tampa Bay area less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene devastated the same stretch of coastline.

Milton strengthened rapidly in the Gulf of Mexico with its sustained wind speeds now exceeding 175 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. If the storm continues along its current path, it is expected to make landfall near Tampa Bay Wednesday, Oct. 9, with a predicted storm surge between eight and 12 feet if it coincides with high tide. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis suspended all tolls in West and Central Florida Monday, Oct. 7, in an effort to streamline evacuation efforts while relief crews prioritize clean up efforts to avoid leftover debris left by Helene from becoming projectiles.

When reached by phone on Monday, Cullman County Emergency Management Agency Director Tim Sartin was in Henderson County, North Carolina assisting its Emergency Operation Center as part of ongoing Hurricane Helene relief efforts. He said while search and recovery efforts have been slow-moving due to the amount of devastation caused by Helene’s heavy rainfall, he has witnessed an outpouring of support from volunteer groups from across the country as well as the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Sartin said many volunteers in the Carolina’s are now looking at ways to divide resources to provide further assistance in Florida.

“I’m here in North Carolina trying to figure out how we can send resources down [to Florida],” Sartin said. “They’ve got teams here from all across the country and a 150,000 square foot warehouse that is almost completely full of supplies. So as far as Henderson County goes, they have a tremendous amount of supplies. The county just north of us was also hit really hard and we’ve tried to send them supplies, but they didn’t need them either.”

Sartin advised anyone wanting to contribute to either area, to forego what he described as the “John Wayne” approach, and to connect with a relief organization within the area. He said individuals acting on their own accord, while well-intentioned, did more to deter from relief efforts than to help them.

“If you come up here by yourself, even though you may have resources, you are really putting a strain on things and becoming more a problem than a help,” Sartin said. “Their hearts are in the right place, but you have to go about it the right way.”

Daystar Church has connected with locals in Asheville, North Carolina and Augusta, Georgia and are preparing to deploy a team of volunteers from Oct. 9 until Oct. 12. Daystar Outreach Pastor Melissa Reynolds said the team is still accepting volunteers who will leave around 5 a.m. Wednesday morning to drop off supplies with a local church in Asheville before traveling back to Augusta where it plans to help distribute supplies which have already been collected in the area.

Reynolds said the group is also in close contact with connections in Florida and have plans to send volunteers to assist with cleanup and construction efforts after Milton has passed through the area.