Florida

Tampa prepared for a Category 5 hurricane scenario in 2020 when a simulation built Project Phoenix. Simulated weather reports and archived footage from other storms were combined to inform people about the hazards of a potential Category 5 storm.

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Project Phoenix was purely fictional, but people are now beginning to see it become a reality as Hurricane Milton approaches. The path, the strength of the storm and the time are all becoming eerily similar to what was mentioned for Hurricane Phoenix. 

The scenario forecast that a Category 5 hurricane would hit Tampa on October 15, with winds at 160mph and gusts up to 200mph. Hurricane Milton was initially packing sustained winds reaching 180 mph which later dropped before moving up to 160 mph.

Hurricane Phoenix was predicted to kill over 160 people and leave 30,000 missing. Nearly 300,000 might be left in need of shelter, it had stated, besides causing as much as $200 billion in building damage.

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Phoenix was set for landfall on Oct 15, while Milton is also posing a threat around the same time.

Ominous predictions of devastation in Tampa Bay

The simulation also created a scene of devastation, describing everything that had gone for a toss. It showed the city's downtown area underwater, bridges cut off by the storm surge and vehicles and debris floating around. The surge was forecast to reach a height of 20 feet.

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Also Read: Hurricane Milton from space: Astronaut shares timelapse of mega-storm

The National Hurricane Center is predicting a storm surge of 8 and 12 feet above normal tide conditions in Tampa Bay and surrounding waters due to Milton

Medical personnel say in the simulation that they are trapped on the third floor of the Tampa General Hospital.

A newscaster says that "St Petersburg is essentially an island right now," with videos showing roofs torn off.

Notably, Milton is expected to make landfall on Florida's Gulf Coast, near Tampa and St. Petersburg, late Wednesday, affecting regions same as those mentioned in the Phoenix simulation.

The storm ended up destroying the beaches, hospitals and most businesses and homes.

Milton is predicted to be the biggest storm to hit Tampa in 100 years and has already been termed the strongest hurricane of 2024. 

Experts are stunned to see a storm of this scale approach Tampa. Mayor Jane Castor said that no one in the region has witnessed a storm of this magnitude in their lifetime. She issued a dire warning, saying, "If you choose to stay … you are going to die.” 

The last time the eye of a major storm hit Tampa was in 1921. 

Sponsored by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Florida Department of Emergency Management, Phoenix was predicted to cause a loss of $200 billion. Meanwhile, as per a 2015 report by the catastrophe modelling firm Karen Clark and Co, Tampa Bay can lose $175 billion in damages due to storm surge flooding.