Hurricane Milton: Some Floridians refuse to evacuate — here are their reasons

globalnews.ca:

Hurricane Milton barrels toward Florida, expected to make landfall some time Wednesday evening, locals across the state are scrambling to make emergency preparations and hundreds of thousands are attempting to leave what are expected to be the hardest-hit areas.But with one million people in coastal areas under evacuation orders, highways to higher ground clogged and gas stations running out of fuel, many Floridians are choosing to stay — hoping they can ride out the storm.It’s a huge gamble. On Tuesday, Tampa Bay Mayor Jane Castor issued a blunt warning for those in her city: “If you choose to stay in one of those evacuation areas, you’re going to die,” she told CNN, and later noted that the up to 4.5 metres of storm surge expected in her city would be deep enough to swallow an entire house.“So if you’re in it, basically that’s the coffin that you’re in,” she said.The Tampa Bay area, home to more than 3.3 million people, faces the possibility of widespread destruction after avoiding direct hits from major hurricanes for more than a century.

The National Hurricane Center predicted Milton, a monstrous Category 5 hurricane during much of its approach, would likely weaken but remain a major hurricane when it makes landfall.By mid-Wednesday, it was alerting Floridians that it’s “time to shelter-in-place.”It’s time to shelter-in-place from #Milton. Tropical-storm force winds, flooding rains, and tornadoes are spreading inland across FL.

Unless a life-threatening situation arises, stay indoors and follow updates. pic.twitter.com/yplcIhwjIR— National Weather Service (@NWS) October 9, 2024Authorities have issued mandatory evacuation orders across 11 Florida counties and have warned that anyone choosing to stay must fend for