Thousands trying to escape Florida....

hollydolly

hollydolly

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Thousands of people are scrambling to flee Florida as catastrophic Hurricane Milton threatens a once-in-a-century direct hit on Tampa and St Petersburg, engulfing the region with towering storm surges.

Terrified Floridians are rushing to safety after local officials issued a stark warning overnight advising residents to 'flee or die' before the monster storm packs furious winds and gushes walls of water inland tomorrow.

Drivers are sitting in standstill traffic this morning as the state's major highways are clogged with miles-long lines of cars trying to flee the line of danger. Traffic is jammed both north and southbound as locals seek shelter out-of-state and in Miami.

The window has also nearly closed for people to escape the region by plane as airports in Tampa, St Petersburg and Orlando have already started grounding flights.

Residents who have accepted they won't be able to flee and are preparing to hunker down, have begun panic buying supplies, stripping store shelves of bottled water, toilet paper and other household necessities.

Those who are still desperate to escape and follow evacuation orders say it may be too 'dangerous' to hit the roads because local gas stations have run out of fuel. However, Governor Ron DeSantis this morning assured residents that there's enough fuel for them to get away from the storm.

Milton was so strong overnight that experts called for it to be given unprecedented Category 6 status, however the hurricane was downgraded to a Category 4 early this morning. Forecasters warn Milton is 'expected to grow in size' and remain 'an extremely dangerous hurricane' when it makes landfall tomorrow.

Residents in Costco Orlando stocking up...

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Despite long lines at gas stations, DeSantis said officials are working with fuel companies to continue bringing in gasoline.

'You do not have to get on the interstate and go far away,' he added. 'You can evacuate tens of miles; you do not have to evacuate hundreds of miles away. You do have options.'

DeSantis said the state has helped evacuate more than 200 health care facilities in Milton's path and that 36 county-run shelters are open.

The Fort Myers/Naples/Cape Coral area of Florida on the I-75 towards Miami was almost at a standstill Tuesday morning as people tried to flee. Similar scenes are also playing out on the I-4 towards Orlando and the NB I-75 out of Tampa.

Multiple people have also shared anecdotes on X claiming they are unable to afford the cost of either driving or flying their way out of the state.

'I've had two people in the last HOUR tell me they can't afford to evacuate for Hurricane Milton. Never tell me low wages aren't violent ever again,' one user on X posted.
Videos here
Thousands are trapped in Florida's Hurricane hell as Milton closes in
 

hollydolly said:
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Thousands of people are scrambling to flee Florida as catastrophic Hurricane Milton threatens a once-in-a-century direct hit on Tampa and St Petersburg, engulfing the region with towering storm surges.

Terrified Floridians are rushing to safety after local officials issued a stark warning overnight advising residents to 'flee or die' before the monster storm packs furious winds and gushes walls of water inland tomorrow.

Drivers are sitting in standstill traffic this morning as the state's major highways are clogged with miles-long lines of cars trying to flee the line of danger. Traffic is jammed both north and southbound as locals seek shelter out-of-state and in Miami.

The window has also nearly closed for people to escape the region by plane as airports in Tampa, St Petersburg and Orlando have already started grounding flights.

Residents who have accepted they won't be able to flee and are preparing to hunker down, have begun panic buying supplies, stripping store shelves of bottled water, toilet paper and other household necessities.

Those who are still desperate to escape and follow evacuation orders say it may be too 'dangerous' to hit the roads because local gas stations have run out of fuel. However, Governor Ron DeSantis this morning assured residents that there's enough fuel for them to get away from the storm.

Milton was so strong overnight that experts called for it to be given unprecedented Category 6 status, however the hurricane was downgraded to a Category 4 early this morning. Forecasters warn Milton is 'expected to grow in size' and remain 'an extremely dangerous hurricane' when it makes landfall tomorrow.

Residents in Costco Orlando stocking up...

90590183-13936325-Residents_were_seen_at_Costco_in_Orlando_stocking_up_on_bottled_-a-77_1728391961656.jpg


90588843-13936325-Residents_have_been_warned_to_flee_or_die_as_Hurricane_Milton_cl-a-74_1728391961653.jpg

Despite long lines at gas stations, DeSantis said officials are working with fuel companies to continue bringing in gasoline.

'You do not have to get on the interstate and go far away,' he added. 'You can evacuate tens of miles; you do not have to evacuate hundreds of miles away. You do have options.'

DeSantis said the state has helped evacuate more than 200 health care facilities in Milton's path and that 36 county-run shelters are open.

The Fort Myers/Naples/Cape Coral area of Florida on the I-75 towards Miami was almost at a standstill Tuesday morning as people tried to flee. Similar scenes are also playing out on the I-4 towards Orlando and the NB I-75 out of Tampa.

Multiple people have also shared anecdotes on X claiming they are unable to afford the cost of either driving or flying their way out of the state.

'I've had two people in the last HOUR tell me they can't afford to evacuate for Hurricane Milton. Never tell me low wages aren't violent ever again,' one user on X posted.
Videos here
Thousands are trapped in Florida's Hurricane hell as Milton closes in
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I have been stuck on I-4 many times. We travel west to east, so we have to go past Disney World. As soon as we get past Disney, traffic is pretty much normal. They are putting in express lanes on the west said of Disney, but it will cost extra to use those lanes, which I will gladly pay so I can keep moving and not have to sit in traffic or do stop and go for 30 or more miles.

We are keeping an eye on the storm. I called my friends down there and they have secured all of the outside furniture, covered the TV, and put all of the big plant urns in the garage. The pool was drained a few weeks ago because I was having it cleaned and painted and new landing around the outside area around the pool replaced. All we can do now is pray. We also had new windows put in that are supposed to be protected up to
200 mph using laminated glass after they were installed, we had tinting done.
 
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What a mess . . . My brother-in-law and his wife live just north of Ft. Meyers, within a mile of the Gulf. They've been through 3 hurricanes in the 5-6 years they've lived in Florida. Milton will make No. 4 and by all accounts, it's going to be the Big One.
 
The mayor of Tampa Bay, Florida has a blunt message for Floridians in the path of Hurricane Milton – this storm could kill you.

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“If you choose to stay in one of those evacuation areas, you’re going to die,” Tampa Bay mayor Jane Castor said in an interview with CNN. The stark warning comes as Canada is warning citizens to avoid unnecessary travel in the regions set to be slammed by the ferocious storm.



The Florida peninsula may not be a stranger to extreme weather, but Tampa Bay has managed to avoid getting hit directly by a hurricane since 1921.

That could change on Wednesday with Hurricane Milton, spurring the Canadian government to issue a travel advisory for the entire peninsula, including Tampa Bay, and urging Canadians to “avoid non-essential travel” around the region.
The advisory for the west coast of the Florida peninsula spanned from Chokoloskee to the mouth of the Suwanee River, including Tampa Bay, Lake Okeechobee and the Dry Tortugas. The warning for the east coast was for the St. Lucie/Indian River County Line northward to the mouth of the St. Marys River.

“Hurricane Milton is expected to sweep across various locations on Florida’s west and east coasts between October 8 and 9, 2024,” Canada’s advisory read.

It added that the storm is likely to bring excessive rainfall and violent winds, which could cause flash flooding and landslides, disrupting essential services like transportation, power, water and food supply, communications, emergency services and medical care.


Tampa International Airport suspended flight services at 9 a.m. eastern on Tuesday ahead of the expected impact of Hurricane Milton. Authorities said in a social media post that the airport would “reopen when safe to do so.”

Airport authorities asked travellers to check directly with airlines for any updates and warned that the airport was not a place to shelter for people or vehicles.
 
what does the Waffle House Index say?
If a Waffle House stays open in town, even in a limited capacity, neighbors are reassured that the coming storm is unlikely to cause devastation. A closed location of the dependable diner chain has come to indicate impending disaster. The metric is known as the Waffle House Index.

What might sound like silly logic has become one of the most reliable ways for Southerners — and even federal officials — to gauge a storm’s severity and identify communities most in need of immediate aid.
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From @hollydolly 's article:
"Multiple people have also shared anecdotes on X claiming they are unable to afford the cost of either driving or flying their way out of the state."

That's what I was thinking this morning. Would I, in this situation be able to leave? I'm not sure and I'm grateful to live in a temperate zone like NY.
 
Pepper said:
That's what I was thinking this morning. Would I, in this situation be able to leave? I'm not sure and I'm grateful to live in a temperate zone like NY.
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I wondered about this, too... and when I've heard "why don't people just leave?" I always think what if they don't have money for hotel rooms? You drop a grand for a week at a hotel and *hope* there will be some kind of reimbursement in a few months? Or years? 🤷‍♀️
 
Pappy said:
We are in a hotel as a lot of mobile homes will be destroyed. The eye of the storm is predicted to come right over us. Gusts to 90 mph. We have no choice but to ride it out.
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Prayers for your safety for you and Thelma, @Pappy . Elon Musk has worked with the FCC so that if WiFi and cell goes out, your cell phone can connect to Starlink satellites, and you can communicate with your loved ones by text through Starlink.


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Listening to a radio talk show that I do. A woman just called in, by cell phone, supposedly, supposedly stuck in traffic somewhere in Florida. She was complaining that so many of the gas stations are out of gas, and also that many others are closed. Well, if they are out of gas, why be open ? And if the governor and others are saying get out .... why would the station owners & attendants stay ? Just to satisfy your needs ?

If I were there , and had a family, my first thought would be to protect them. My second thought would be to protect myself. jus sayin'
 

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