LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Millions of people are bracing for the potentially life-threatening impact as Hurricane Milton is near landfall in southwest Florida. And some Kentucky and Indiana natives are living, working and vacationing in the danger zone.

One of them is Denise Troutman, who's preparing for the storm with her neighbors while still feeling the impact of Hurricane Helene.

"A girlfriend of mine was going to have a grand opening of her place on Davis Island, (and) Davis Island got wiped out completely," Troutman said. "Unfortunately, during Helene, it just got hit so hard. And I live in a high-rise, so I always feel very blessed that I'm on the second floor. But many of my friends literally lost everything."

Milton has fluctuated in intensity as it approaches Florida but was a strong Category 3 hurricane at Wednesday afternoon and was expected to remain a major storm when its center hits land and then plow across the center of the state, forecasters said. Tampa Bay, near the top of a long stretch of coastline that could be in the bull's-eye, has not taken a direct hit from a major hurricane in more than a century.

Milton targets communities still reeling two weeks after Hurricane Helene flooded streets and homes in western Florida along its devastating march that left at least 230 dead across the South. In many places along the coast, municipalities raced to collect and dispose of debris before Milton’s winds and storm surge — projected to reach as high as 12 feet in Tampa Bay and up to 15 feet farther south, between Sarasota and Fort Myers — could toss it around and compound any damage.

The National Hurricane Center stressed that it was not certain where Milton’s center would come ashore Wednesday night because the storm's path might "wobble," but the entire Tampa Bay region and points south were at grave risk. Tropical storm-force winds were just off the coast around midday, the center said.

"This is it, folks," said Cathie Perkins, emergency management director in Pinellas County, which sits on the peninsula that forms Tampa Bay. "Those of you who were punched during Hurricane Helene, this is going to be a knockout. You need to get out, and you need to get out now."

Troutman relocated to Tampa several years ago. She previously lived in Louisville and served as president of the Center for Women and Families. She's the widow of the late Dr. Adewale Troutman, the former head of Louisville Public Health & Wellness. In fact, after weathering Helene, Troutman came home to Louisville for a visit.

"Everybody (in Louisville) said 'Denise, stay, stay, stay,'" she said. "But my heart really led me back to my dog in my apartment and my children, both of them who are here in the area. And I said 'I'm getting on the last flight out.' And I did. I got in at 2 a.m. on Monday morning from Louisville, direct to Tampa." 

Tracie Shugart, a retired Louisville Metro Police lieutenant, is another Louisville native living in Florida. She's the former head of the Louisville Metro Police Foundation.

"When you're down here, it's par for the course," Shugart said. "... It's the price you pay for living in paradise."

So like millions of others, both Shugart and Troutman are preparing for the worst.

"We have a generator, we have a poured concrete house and we have hurricane doors and windows," Shugart said. "... every time, when hurricane season starts, you make sure that you stock up on water, that everything's working, that you got everything ready to go, and you just ride it out."

Four-hundred Indiana National Guardsmen left for Florida on Wednesday to help with hurricane relief, including a unit based out of New Albany. Their job will be to clear routes, help with shelter and get supplies to those who need them after Hurricane Milton hits.

And a team of 17 Louisville-area firefighters packed up Monday to head south, taking boats and UTVs, along with their hours of specialized training to Florida. The team is made of members from area fire departments, including Anchorage-Middletown, Pleasure Ridge Park, Fern Creek and Okolona.

Jordan Yuodis with Anchorage Middletown Fire & EMS, who is with the group in Florida assisting the city of Tampa's Emergency Operations Center, said you can clearly tell something big is coming.

"It's kind of like the calm before the storm, so to speak," he said. "On my drive in, a lot of the homes are boarded up. The streets are pretty empty."

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