As Hurricane Milton barreled toward Florida's west coast Wednesday afternoon, the Red Sox' southern outpost, JetBlue Park in Fort Myers, served as the main base for relief and rescue efforts expected to be required in the wake of the dangerous storm.

More than 300 power-and-light utility vehicles from around the country were lined up on the 8-acre site in front of the complex where the club holds spring training games and has its minor league headquarters.

About 50 trash and debris haulers and seven 18-wheelers filled with drinking water were also on site, according to Shawn Smith, the Red Sox' general manager of operations in Florida.

“We just continue to pray for everyone's safety and pray for minimal damage,” Smith said by phone as tornado warning warnings could be heard in the background. “There are going to be a lot of people here who are going to be devastated and we just hope the good Lord minimizes that.”

While the Fort Myers/Lee County area is directly south of the “cone” where Milton was expected to make landfall later Wednesday, the area is expected to experience significant flooding from the storm surge, wind damage and additional inland flooding.

Depending on the severity of the impact, JetBlue Park could become a staging area for FEMA and Coast Guard officials.

Relief efforts are being coordinated with Lee County.

In late September two years ago, Hurricane Ian made landfall north of Fort Myers Beach as a Category 4 hurricane, causing a 15-foot storm surge that devastated Lee County beaches. This storm caused over $100 billion in damage and claimed 149 lives, 72 of them in Lee County.

JetBlue Park, about 15 miles inland, suffered minimal damage, with some padding on the outfield walls blown away. .

For Milton, the windshields in the park were removed and any items that could be carried away by the wind were secured.

The 70 players who were at the facility for fall classes were evacuated Monday; International players are now staying in hotels on the state's east coast while the rest drove or flew out of harm's way.

“We’re confident that stuff here will be OK,” Smith said.

Smith and his family live in Punta Gorda, near where Milton is expected to make landfall with a predicted storm surge of 12 feet. They locked up their house, which is about 10 feet above sea level.

“We're hoping our house won't be destroyed when the storm passes,” Smith said.

Hurricane Helene caused an 8.5-foot tidal wave in Punta Gorda two weeks ago.

The Red Sox opened the ballpark in 2012

Michael Silverman can be reached at [email protected].