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By Shivansh Tiwary and Abhinav Parmar
(Reuters) -Airlines, energy firms and a Universal Studios theme park were among the companies beginning to halt their Florida operations as they braced for disruptions with Hurricane Milton set to make landfall on Wednesday.
The hurricane has rapidly intensified into one of the area's most powerful on record, threatening a stretch of Florida's densely populated west coast that is still reeling from the devastating Hurricane Helene less than two weeks ago.
As of Tuesday afternoon, 1,311 flights within, into, or out of the United States were delayed, and 701 were canceled, with that number expected to rise, according to flight tracking data provider FlightAware.
Southwest, one of the largest U.S. airlines, said it was adjusting its schedule at several airports that were pausing operations, including Tampa International Airport and Orlando International Airport.
Orlando International, one of the busiest airports in the U.S., said it would cease operations at 8 a.m. local time on Wednesday, according to a notice on its website. Tampa International said it was closed on Tuesday.
United Airlines, JetBlue Airways and Air Canada added extra capacity to move people out of Florida.
Hurricane Milton is expected to expand in size on Tuesday as it approaches Florida's battered Gulf Coast, where more than 1 million people were ordered to evacuate.
President Joe Biden has postponed his Oct. 10-15 trip to Germany and Angola to oversee storm preparation and response, the White House said on Tuesday.
A growing number of gasoline retailers were flashing empty signs on Tuesday as residents took to panic buying. Motorists waited to fill their tanks in lines snaking around gas stations, only to find that some were out of fuel, according to local media and social-media posts.
Retailer Target said it was temporarily closing or adjusting hours of locations of its stores in the storm's path. Department store Kohls said it temporarily closed some stores in the area.
Energy companies began shutting down their pipelines and fuel-delivery terminals in Tampa on Tuesday. Pipeline operator Kinder Morgan said it shut down its Central Florida Pipeline system, two small lines that carry gasoline, diesel and other fuels from Tampa to Orlando.
Universal Studios in Orlando was also planning to close ahead of Milton's landfall, it said on Tuesday, while cruise operators Royal Caribbean and Carnival said they were adjusting some schedules.
Milton is forecast to remain an extremely dangerous hurricane through landfall in Florida, causing catastrophic damage and power outages expected to last days.
(Reporting by Shivansh Tiwary and Abhinav Parmar in Bengaluru; additional reporting by Juveria Tabassum and Priyanka G; Editing by Sayantani Ghosh and Devika Syamnath)
