The National Weather Service warned residents to shelter-in-place as conditions deteriorated dramatically Wednesday afternoon and Hurricane Milton roared toward Florida's beleaguered west coast.

Forecasters are urging people in Florida to make preparations or leave their homes today, as the National Hurricane Center confirmed that Milton is a "catastrophic Category 5 hurricane" and will hit Florida later today or early tomorrow as a major storm.

Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator Deanna Criswell, who is traveling to Florida on Wednesday night, gave assurances that the agency is prepared to support every state affected by the storms. She also warned that it may be too late for some to safely evacuate.