Hundreds of thousands of Tampa Bay residents could receive evacuation orders on Monday as newly formed Hurricane Milton is expected to turn into a life-threatening storm.

Pinellas County residents in evacuation zones A, B and C — about half the residents of the county — are likely to receive evacuation orders Monday, Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said Sunday. Long-term care facilities, assisted living facilities and hospitals in those zones, about 6,600 patients, were ordered to leave on Sunday.

Hurricane Milton is expected to make landfall somewhere near Florida’s central Gulf Coast on Wednesday evening as a possible Category 3 storm that could be the worst Tampa Bay has seen in a lifetime.

The storm has already triggered an “unprecedented” debris removal effort in the area, with dump sites open 24 hours and Florida National Guard members helping clear debris, Gov. Ron DeSantis said.

Millions of Floridians along the Gulf Coast could be told to leave, and officials in Tampa Bay are warning the storm could be far worse than Helene. Sewage systems and power could be out for weeks.

“I can’t say it any more plainly than this: Just get out,” Gualtieri said.

This is a developing story. Stay with tampabay.com for updates.

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