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Christian Leaders Pray for Tampa Region as it Braces for ‘Catastrophic’ Impact of Hurricane Milton

Michael Foust

Faith leaders are requesting prayer for Florida's Gulf Coast as a once-in-a-century hurricane barrels toward the Tampa region with potentially catastrophic winds and storm surge. Tampa has not been hit by a major hurricane since 1921, yet that apparently will change late Wednesday and early Thursday when Hurricane Milton is expected to make landfall as a major hurricane with winds potentially exceeding 150 mph. Two weeks ago, Hurricane Helene slammed into Florida near the panhandle. 

"This has the potential to be one of the worst natural disasters in American history," said meteorologist Dylan Federico, who labeled the storm's potential impact "catastrophic."

On Wednesday morning, it was a Category 4 storm with winds of 155 mph and was not expected to weaken much before impact, according to the Weather Channel. It was only 2 mph from reaching Category 5 status—the highest rating on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. 

"This powerful storm could devastate an area of Florida where people have already been devastated -- pray for them," said evangelist Franklin Graham, the president of the Christian relief organization Samaritan's Purse. 

Bryant Wright, president of the Southern Baptist relief organization Send Relief, urged believers to pray that the storm weakens. 

"Join with me in praying that God will dissipate this storm, just as Jesus calmed the storm with His disciples on the Sea of Galilee.

Wright added, "This storm is headed for major population areas that could bring tremendous loss of life."

Tampa, the third largest city in Florida with 400,000 residents, rarely gets hit directly by hurricanes due to its unique geographical location on Florida's western coast and the prevailing weather patterns that often steer hurricanes away from the region.

Hurricane Milton is predicted to bring a peak storm surge of between 10 and 15 feet of water with life-threatening flooding. Frighteningly, it will "continue to grow even larger on approach to Florida," which will allow its "wind, storm surge, and rainfall impacts to sprawl out across a bigger area both within and outside of its forecast cone," the Weather Channel said. Making the impact even worse: The Florida coast will be reaching high tide Thursday morning. 

"If the storm surge forecast materializes for Tampa Bay, it would be the highest there in more than a century," the Weather Channel said. 

Milton will then cross Florida before it heads out to the Atlantic Ocean. 

Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Roberto Machado Noa

Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel. 

Listen to Michael's Podcast! He is the host of Crosswalk Talk, a podcast where he talks with Christian movie stars, musicians, directors, and more. Hear how famous Christian figures keep their faith a priority in Hollywood and discover the best Christian movies, books, television, and other entertainment. You can find Crosswalk Talk on LifeAudio.com, or subscribe on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an interview that will be sure to encourage your faith.