Flooding amid storm surges and heavy rains is a key concern when any hurricane strikes, but Florida is now particularly vulnerable. Protective sand dunes washed away by Hurricane Helene mean that there are fewer defenses than before, while the ground is already saturated in some areas.

Hurricane Milton churned Wednesday toward a potentially catastrophic collision along the west coast of Florida, where some residents insisted they would stay after millions of people across 15 different Florida counties were told to evacuate as officials warned that stragglers would face grim odds of surviving.