A hurricane’s winds blow counterclockwise, and with Milton passing south of Tampa Bay, winds to the north of the storm are blowing in from the east, pushing water away from the shoreline.

By Rich McKay (Reuters) -As millions of people were under evacuation orders along Florida's Gulf Coast, the African elephants, Caribbean flamingos, pigmy hippos and about 1,000 other animals are riding out the monstrous Hurricane Milton at Tampa's zoo.

"Nothing bothers them," Burns said, even as Hurricane Milton is described by forecasters as a catastrophic and potentially deadly storm. She said there was no need to put animals in trailers and haul them to other zoos or sanctuaries.