The U.S. Gulf of Mexico is bracing for the worst hurricane in a century. The powerful storm, named Milton, has sustained winds of 175 miles per hour, making it a Category 5 hurricane.

    Meteorologists are concerned that the fierce hurricane could make a direct hit on the Tampa and St. Petersburg areas of Florida, which are densely populated and prosperous towns. In addition, the area only experienced a Hurricane Helen more than 10 days ago, and the subsequent arrival of Milton will undoubtedly worsen the local situation.

    The National Hurricane Center warned that Milton could change in intensity as it moved through the eastern Gulf of Mexico, but that it would inevitably be upgraded to a dangerous major hurricane by the time it reached Florida on Wednesday evening.

    Evacuation orders have been issued for many parts of Florida because of Hurricane Milton, and hospitals and other health care facilities along the Gulf Coast are preparing for the worst. Steve McCoy, director of the Florida Department of Health's Emergency Medical Surveillance Bureau, said it was the largest evacuation in the state's history.

    Wall Street analysts fear that Milton will cause as much as $175 billion in damage, leaving more scars on Helen's rubble and creating an unprecedented debris path.

    Jefferies equity analyst Yaron Kinar team analysis said that one of the most densely populated areas of Florida, a strong hurricane hit, may cause billions of dollars in damage, if it landed in the Tampa area, the loss will be close to $175 billion; The landfall in Fort Myers was relatively low, estimated at $70 billion.

    Analysts recall that two years ago, Category 4 Hurricane Ian, a once-in-two decades major hurricane, left a $50 billion economic mess after hitting the Fort Myers area.

    Wells Fargo believes that the economic damage caused by Milton is clearly above $50 billion, which is greater than Hurricane Ian. But the firm predicted losses ranging from $10 billion to $100 billion.

    Moody's had already estimated the damage from Hurricane Helen at about $11 billion. In addition to the direct property damage, Moody's puts the National Flood Insurance Program's losses at nearly $2 billion.

    The agency warned that most of the areas most affected by Hurricane Helen were not covered by flood insurance, meaning economic property losses were greater than insured losses. Milton may have had the same problem.

    In addition, Tampa Bay is also a key region for U.S. energy imports and exports. The U.S. Energy Information Administration notes that more than 17 million tons of oil and gas-related products pass through Tampa Bay each year. The storm's approach has led to the suspension of most industrial activity.

    Tom Kloza, director of energy analysis at the Oil Price Information Service, said Milton could be the biggest disruption to Florida's gasoline supply since Hurricane Andrew in 1992. If a Category 3 or higher storm directly hits the energy infrastructure, Florida's energy will be unsustainable. It may be difficult for tankers or barges to access Tampa Bay until the end of the week.

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