Buccaneers evacuating to New Orleans ahead of Hurricane Milton

TAMPA BAY, Fla. — With Hurricane Milton expected to make landfall sometime Wednesday on Florida’s west coast, the Buccaneers are moving their operations to the New Orleans area for the remainder of the week, the team announced Monday.

The Bucs will depart on Tuesday morning, five days before they play the Saints Sunday at 1 p.m. ET at the Superdome.

Media availability with head coach Todd Bowles, and select players and coaches will be conducted virtually throughout the week.

It’s not the first time the Bucs have pulled anchor and left Tampa Bay ahead of a storm.

In 2022, they traveled to South Florida and practiced at the Miami Dolphins’ training facility to avoid Hurricane Ian.

In that instance, the Bucs took along the families of some players, coaching staff and other members of the organization. They made sure everyone’s pets were safe as well. Tackle Luke Goedeke took a black rabbit named Cletus.

While South Florida was out of the storm’s path, it still got a lot of rain from the feeder bands of the storm. In fact, the hotel where the team stayed had some leaks in some of the meeting rooms.

When the Bucs returned home to Tampa, they fell behind the Kansas City Chiefs 21-3 early in the second quarter and lost 41-31.

In 2017, the Bucs had their season opener against the Dolphins postponed due to Hurricane Irma.

The team chartered five planes to Charlotte, N.C., to provide a safe place for players and their families to ride out the storm.

Irma turned and made landfall south of Tampa. However, it was difficult for some players who relocated elsewhere to return to the area.

The NFL gave the Bucs a Week 1 bye, forcing them to play the rest of the season without interruption. They beat the Dolphins 30-20 in the game that had been postponed in Week 11.

If any NFL city can appreciate the potential devastation of a hurricane, it’s New Orleans, which was struck by Katrina in 2005.

____