Residents living in the path of category four Hurricane Ian have been warn it's too late to flee.
The devastating storm has already swept through Cuba leaving millions without electricity and is expected to make landfall in Florida, in the US, later today.
Wind speeds of up to 250km/h (155mph) have been measured, just short of the threshold needed for a category five storm - the highest classification.
State Governor Ron DeSantis warned it is "no longer possible to safely evacuate" for those living in a number of western Florida counties with people being advised to hunker down and weather it.
He said: “If you are in any of those counties, it’s no longer possible to safely evacuate. It’s time to hunker down and prepare for this storm.
"This is a powerful storm that should be treated like you would treat” like a tornado approaching your home, reports CNN.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said the storm was "rapidly intensifying". Initially there were fears the storm would directly hit the Tampa area, a "worst case scenario", according to storm experts.
Instead it's expected to hit further south around Port Charlotte.
Forecasters have warned this will be 'the storm of a lifetime' with major airlines issuing storm waivers allowing passengers to cancel their tickets at no cost.
Disney World has made plans to evacuate some guests.
Rick Davis, a forecaster at the service, told CNN: “We tell people even if they’re lifelong Floridians like myself, this is something that we haven’t seen in our lifetime… So we definitely need to take it seriously.”
In the past few days Home Depot stores have opened to queues in the mornings as people rush to buy water and generators.
In a press conference this morning DeSantis warned: "There will be catastrophic flooding and life threatening storm surge on the Gulf Coast region.
"And of course the hightest risk will be that South-West florida region from Naples up to Sarasota.
"There's also potential for flash flooding and river flooding with 10-20 inches across central and North-East Florida."
Despite an often fraught relationship between Governor DeSantis and the White House, President Biden has spoken with him and they are committed to working together as the storm hits.
Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, said: "President Biden spoke this evening with Governor DeSantis of Florida to discuss the steps the Federal government is taking to help Florida prepare for Hurricane Ian.
"The President and the Governor committed to continued close coordination."
The Hurricane has already ripped across the Western parts of Cuba forcing evacuations and swamping entire villages.
It made landfall in Cuba's Pinar del Rio province early on Tuesday, prompting officials to cut power to the entire province and evacuate 40,000 people from low-lying coastal areas, according to local media reports.
