The last time the eye of a major storm like Hurricane Milton directly struck Tampa Bay was 1921 when the city was a sleepy backwater. It’s now among the fastest-growing metropolises in the United States. Experts say that explosive population growth and a century of luck have made the region more vulnerable than ever to flooding made worse by climate change. Milton was a Category 5 hurricane Monday and on a path toward the Gulf Coast of Florida. Experts are warning that storm surge could be severe, and residents need to heed calls to evacuate.
