Hurricane Milton is headed for Sarasota and Manatee counties, causing widespread evacuations ahead of a deadly storm surge.

Hours before Hurricane Milton was set to make landfall, thousands had already fled Sarasota, the Gulf Coast county that could be at or near ground zero for the storm’s furious march across Florida.

Sarasota Memorial Hospital is prepared to ride out Hurricane Milton, the hospital's CEO said. "We are concerned about the many unknowns of a potential Cat 5 storm. But our facilities are hurricane hardened and constantly updated to meet current codes," David Verinder said.