A Brit stranded in Orlando, Florida has told people that it “feels like coronavirus times” with people rushing to stock up on essentials before Hurricane Milton arrives. It comes just shortly after Hurricane Helene caused destruction across Florida with the state now facing another daunting challenge with Milton having rapidly intensified into a dangerous Category 5 storm, with wind gusts reaching up to 180 mph (285 km/h).
Florida Governor DeSantis reported that at least 14 fatalities from Helene occurred in Florida, where 51 out of 67 counties are currently under emergency warnings as Hurricane Milton approaches.
Talking to TikTok to share what is happening in the US, British holidaymaker, Kathryn aka @scouseblu, has said: “I cannot believe the extend of this hurricane, bare in mind this is our second hurricane during this holiday and apparently [Hurricane] Milton is meant to hit a lot worse than [Hurricane] Helene”.
With many locals evacuating to higher ground, the woman from Liverpool has said that the hotel she is staying at have told them to “stock up on supplies” and that the “electricity might go out”. She added that “the hotel hasn’t provided us with anything. You’ve just got to go out and get it unfortunately as they don’t have enough for everyone which is understandable.”
Talking about stocking up on supplies, she says they arrived at a store at 6.50am with it opening their doors at 7am. But by the time they got to the water aisle, all the bottles was gone. Likening the empty shelves and rush to stock up on “coronavirus times”, she said that people had their trolley full of water with bananas and fruit juice also out of stock.
Urging people to stay safe, Kathryn said: “For anyone who is in Florida, please be safe and please be careful”. As the storm approaches, meteorologists are also warning locals – and holidaymakers in the area – of potentially catastrophic conditions along the coast, with Tampa Bay expected to bear the brunt of the impact on Wednesday (October 9).
According to the latest Foreign Office warning: “Hurricane Milton is expected to make landfall on the west coast of Florida on the night of 9 October or morning of 10 October with tropical force winds affecting the west coast from the morning of 9 October. There is an increasing risk of life-threatening storm surge and high winds on the west coast and heavy rainfall and high winds are expected to impact large parts of Florida.”
The Foreign Office says that if you are in Florida, you should now monitor approaching storms on the US National Hurricane Center website. You also need to follow instructions from local authorities, including evacuation orders and act as soon as possible to ensure the safety of you and those with you.
You can visit the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) website for information on preparing for extreme weather and evacuating. Finally, the Foreign Office are urging people that before they leave to go to the airport, you should firstly check with your airline or travel agent about possible disruption to flights or airport services and follow their advice.