Hurricane Milton updates: 16 dead across Florida in storm's aftermath

Keith Turi, acting director of response and recovery for FEMA, outlined on Monday the agency's preparations for Hurricane Milton and urged anyone in the storm's path to take it seriously.

"We're urging anyone that is in an evacuation area, anyone that is told to evacuate, to please do so," Turi said.

He also hit back against misinformation and conspiracy theories about the storm, calling it "extremely damaging." In Georgia on Friday, former President Donald Trump pushed the baseless claim that FEMA had diverted disaster funds towards cities with an influx of migrants.

"It's unfortunate, because these individuals have been through extremely traumatic times," Turi said. "They've lost loved ones, they've lost their home and now they're being influenced by information that just isn't accurate."

The storm surge forecast for Hurricane Milton has been revised higher by the National Hurricane Center.

Florida's west coast can expect a maximum of 10-15 feet in some areas, according to the NHC. Milton poses an "extremely serious" threat, the NHC said.

Winds are now clocking in at 180 mph, the NHC reported.

The removal of debris from Hurricane Helene will continue until Hurricane Milton’s winds reach tropical storm strength in Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis said, noting that 663 total truckloads of debris have already removed.

Schools in at least 20 counties will be closed on Tuesday and many more will be closed on Wednesday as Hurricane Milton moves in.

There’s no fuel shortage in Florida, DeSantis said. Some gas stations have run out of fuel, but more is coming, he said.

-ABC News’ Darren Reynolds

Milton, currently a Category 5 hurricane with 175 mph winds, is located about 700 miles southwest of Tampa.

Hurricane Milton strengthened from a Category 1 hurricane to a Category 5 hurricane in just 10 hours.

Milton now ranks as the third-greatest 24-hour hurricane intensification by wind speed in the Atlantic Basin. (Records are based on data since the satellite-er began in the 1960s.) The only other hurricanes to intensify faster were Wilma in 2005 and Felix in 2007.

Milton is expected to remain a powerful Category 5 hurricane through Tuesday.

It’s forecast to weaken to a Category 3 on Wednesday before making landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast late Wednesday or early Thursday.

Hurricane watches are in effect in Tampa, Sarasota, Fort Myers, Naples and Orlando.

Storm surge will be one of the biggest threats from Milton.

Hurricane Helene just brought a record 6 to 8 feet of storm surge to the Tampa Bay area, and Hurricane Milton is now forecast to smash that record with 8 to 12 feet of storm surge. Fort Myers could see 5 to 10 feet and Naples could get 4 to 7 feet of storm surge.

Milton will also bring very heavy rain, adding to the rainfall a separate system is dumping on Florida now.

A widespread 5 to 10 inches of rain is possible by the end of the week, with local amounts up to 15 inches, which could cause considerable urban and river flooding.

-ABC News’ Melissa Griffin