Thursday, October 10, 2024, 10:15
Under normal circumstances, Florida residents would be peacefully at home right now. Sleeping. But the arrival of Hurricane ‘Milton’ has generated extreme danger and has forced millions of them to move, destroying hundreds of houses in the various counties that make up the peninsula. Especially in Tampa and Sarasota.
The testimonies of Floridians are devastating. They suffered the ravages of Hurricane ‘Helene’ just two weeks ago. The uncertainty reigns among them of not knowing if they will be able to return to their homes. “It’s devastating not knowing what you’re going to find when you return,” said Rheaanne Ramires, who evacuated her residence in Florida to take refuge in Tennesee. The departure was not an easy task, since it was immersed in a 15-hour traffic jam given the mass exodus of inhabitants. In statements reported by the BBC, he stated that “the whole house could fly into the air.” Together with his family, he chose the belongings that should be taken as quickly as possible: «You work all your life to have your house. “We have tried to take everything we could, including documents and sentimental photos.”
There are those who preferred not to take risks after ‘Helene’. This is the case of Lemus, a 33-year-old man who, despite having experienced other large storms before, has considered the power of ‘Milton’ as “different and terrifying.” Before everything else, he has put his family first: «Do I want to regret having endangered the lives of my family? “I’d rather spend the money.” He fled to Orlando with his wife, children, two cats and a dog and didn’t care about paying for a room at an exorbitant price.
Those who stay
The warnings from the institutions were clear. “It is a matter of life or death,” said Joe Biden two days ago, warning of the need to evacuate the areas affected by the storm. Likewise, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis urged residents to leave the State as soon as possible and take refuge in safe places. However, there are many people who have refused to leave the place where they live. One of them is Chynna Perkins, a Tampa resident, who after considering the options, decided to stay with her husband in their recently built house, thinking that it would withstand the impact of the storm.
“I don’t think people really understand how much planning goes into a decision like that. There is a lot of traffic and there is hardly any gasoline available at the moment. “People are running out of fuel on the highway,” he stated shortly after beginning the evacuation. According to the GasBuddy company, more than 60% of the service stations in Tampa and San. Petersburg ran out of reservations on Wednesday afternoon.
Stephanie Lifshin, a woman who lives two kilometers north of Tampa, wrote to The Independent in a letter expressing her reasons for staying: “We feel pretty safe at home for now. And, to be honest, evacuations can sometimes be more dangerous and stressful than staying in the same place.
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