Florida is preparing for its largest evacuation in seven years as the US state prepares for the arrival of Hurricane Milton.

The weather system, which strengthened from a tropical storm to a hurricane on Sunday, is expected to reach the United States on Wednesday.

The hurricane, currently heading east across the Gulf of Mexico, is expected to make landfall Tampa Bay area before we travel via Orlando.

It comes after more than 200 people were killed Hurricane Helene Late last month, a major earthquake struck the southeastern United States, including parts of Florida.

Meteorologists say some affected areas are likely to be hit again, worsening the damage caused less than two weeks ago.

Kevin Guthrie, head of Florida's Division of Emergency Management, warned residents to prepare for the “largest evacuation we've likely seen since.” 2017 Hurricane Irma“.

He added: “I strongly encourage you to evacuate.”

In 2017, around seven million people in Florida were asked to leave their homes Hurricane Irmawhich killed more than 130 people in the state.

The mass evacuation led to long traffic jams on highways and large queues at gas stations.

Officials say they have learned lessons from chaotic scenes in 2017 and are setting up emergency gas stations and electric vehicle charging stations along evacuation routes.

Governor of Florida Ron DeSantis warned that power outages were likely and that debris caused by Hurricane Helene would “increase dramatically.”

He added: “I don't think there's a scenario where we don't have a major impact at this point.”

“You have time to prepare – all day today, all day Monday, probably all day Tuesday to make sure your hurricane preparedness plan is implemented.”

“If you are on the barrier islands on the west coast of Florida, just assume you will be asked to leave the country.”

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Pinellas County, which includes the city of St. Petersburg, is expected to issue mandatory evacuations for more than 500,000 people in the lowest-lying areas on Monday, officials said at a news conference.

Evacuations have already been ordered for six hospitals, 25 nursing homes and 44 assisted living facilities in the county.

St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch said, “Hurricane Helene is something we've been facing rebuilding for years, and that's going to be exacerbated by the impacts of this storm.”

“Remember, Hurricane Helene was 100 miles away from us and moving in a different direction. This is a strong category two or three.” hurricane flew directly towards us.

A hurricane warning was also issued for the north coast MexicoThe Yucatan Peninsula.

Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden announced on Sunday that an additional 500 active-duty troops would be sent to North Carolina to help with recovery efforts after Hurricane Helene, bringing the total to 1,500 troops.

More than $137m (£104m) in federal aid has also been approved for the region so far.