The residents of Ruskin, Florida, were just starting to pick up the pieces from Hurricane Helene when the order came to evacuate because Hurricane Milton was barreling toward the west Florida coast.
The low-lying community on the south side of Tampa Bay experienced heavy flooding with Helene, and residents like Charlotte Farrell, 80, were left in standing water for days.
"I saw a little water on the kitchen floor," Farrell, who lives in a mobile home in Ruskin, told the New York Post. "I went to the closet to get a towel, and in that time, the water rose up to my ankles. Then it was at my knees, and I wondered if it was going to stop."
With Milton set to make landfall on Wednesday, Farrell has been told to evacuate, but she said she's not going anywhere — except maybe to a shelter.
"Everyone says I should go to a shelter for this one, my son says I need to," she told the Post. "I haven't decided yet. I'm not leaving town, this is my home, but I can decide to go to the middle school later if I want to shelter there."
Shields Middle School reportedly serves as a local storm shelter.
"The police went door to door yesterday telling us that we should get out, mostly because this is a trailer, and we're in a flood zone," she said. "They said it's mandatory, but if we don't, we're responsible for what happens to us."
Another family the Post spoke with was busy packing up their SUV to leave town ahead of the storm.
"We had some flooding last time, but not as bad as most people in town," Ruskin resident Ben McLean told the outlet. "Just really in the screen room. But this time it could be worse, so we're going to Orlando. Get away from this s***."
Churning in the Gulf of Mexico, Milton regained strength on Tuesday and was again upgraded to a Category 5 hurricane as it menaces it way toward Florida. It quickly intensified on Monday and then weakened before being upgraded again. According to the National Hurricane Center, the storm had maximum sustained winds of 165 mph.
In the Tampa Bay area, which has a population of more than 3.3 million, Milton could come ashore Wednesday night, bringing life-threatening storm surge for those who, like Farrell, are unwilling or unable to leave the area.
Nicole Wells ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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