Manchester United co-owners, the Glazers, reportedly chartered two planes to transport ‘350 people and 31 pets’ away from danger as Hurricane Milton prepares to make landfall on Wednesday.
The Glazer family also own the NFL franchise Tampa Bay Buccaneers and helped players, coaches and families escape the storm.
Hurricane Milton is projected to hit the Tampa Bay area late on Wednesday.
Staff were reportedly given the option to include any immediate family and pets on board the planes.
Sports events in Florida are being postponed due to the storm
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The United co-owners also purchased ‘more than 200 hotels’ in Orlando and Gainesville for employees and their families who didn’t travel to New Orleans to escape their homes in Florida.
The Buccaneers are preparing to face the New Orleans Saints on Sunday away from home.
They are said to have departed on Tuesday and relocated to New Orleans – much earlier than they would normally due to the storm.
NHL side Tampa Bay Lightning have also left Florida to practice in North Carolina for the rest of the week ahead of their season-opener on Friday night.
The match is scheduled to go ahead as planned for now at the Carolina Hurricanes’ Lenovo Center.
There have also been postponements in other sports too with an NBA preseason game between the Miami Heat and Atlanta Hawks moved from Thursday to October 16.
A college American football match between Memphis and South Florida has been rescheduled for Saturday, but could be delayed further.
The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) has postponed the Q-seres qualifying stage that was scheduled to take place this week.
Hurricane Milton is set to make landfall on Wednesday
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Their statement read: “Due to the potential impacts of Hurricane Milton, and with the safety of athletes, caddies, staff, volunteers, and the local community as our top priority, we have postponed the Qualifying Stage of LPGA Q-Series, originally scheduled for October 13 – 18, 2024, at Plantation Golf and Country Club in Venice, Florida. Updates will be announced following a thorough assessment of conditions after the storm passes.
“Our thoughts are with the entire Florida community as we prepare for the storm.”
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Joel Glazer and Bryan Glazer own the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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Local weather reports claim the Tampa area could be braced for record-breaking surges of up to 15 feet.
NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick shared a stunning timelapse video of Hurricane Milton from space on social media that showed the sheer size of the storm.
Tropical storm-force winds are expected to hit all of Florida with an extreme flash flood risk in several areas.