On Oct. 7, Miami-Dade County Public Schools announced all school closures on Wednesday, Oct. 9 ahead of now-category 5 Hurricane Milton. Predicted to make landfall on Oct. 9, the school district has also suspended all school-related activities on Oct. 8 beginning at 6 p.m..

Published via Instagram and the district website, the school district also included all adult education programs in the announcement and encouraged parents to pick their children up from school as early as possible. 

Predicted to reach winds up to 160 mph, Hurricane Milton becomes the second hurricane set to hit Florida in two weeks, following mass destruction due to Hurricane Helene on the state’s west coast. Beginning Sept. 26. Helene claimed the lives of now 227 and brought unprecedented destruction to states such as North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. 

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has declared a state of emergency for 51 Florida counties ahead of the storm, with many emergency evacuation orders in place.