What a Simulated Category 5 Hurricane Over Tampa Tells Us Could Happen Next [Video]

In 2009, a simulation was conducted to imagine what a direct strike from a Category 5 hurricane would do to the Tampa Bay area. The result? A chilling scenario with tens of thousands missing, hundreds of lives lost, and catastrophic damage to the region.

The exercise, called Project Phoenix, was sponsored by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Florida Department of Emergency Management and designed to help local governments, businesses, and emergency services prepare for the unthinkable.

While the simulated model worked on the basis of a hypothetical storm, the concept of similar devastation feels all too real as Florida residents have been urged to flee to safety as Hurricane Milton is expected to hit the area in the coming days as a Category 5 storm.

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