Florida officials have GRIM message for those who refuse to evacuate

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Florida officials are not playing around with incoming Hurricane Milton and they are bluntly warning residents to follow advice on evacuating or else.

During several press conferences with updates on the monster hurricane expected to make landfall late Wednesday as perhaps a Category 3 or 4 storm, officials made it clear that anyone not heeding evacuation orders was risking their own life.

(Video Credit: 10 Tampa Bay)

“Get out of harm’s way and we can deal with the aftermath and the property and the cleanup, we can deal with all that but we cannot bring people back to life,” Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody said at a press conference Monday, warning: “You will not make it out of your home alive” if choosing to ride out the storm.

“You probably need to write your name in permanent marker on your arm so that people know who you are when they get to you afterward,” she said.

Moody’s grim remarks came on the heels of a warning by Tampa Mayor Jane Castor to residents in evacuation zones who insist on staying put.

“I can say without any dramatization whatsoever: If you choose to stay in one of those evacuation areas, you’re going to die,” Castor said on CNN, adding that the threat from the storm is “literally catastrophic.”

‘You’re going to die’: Tampa Bay mayor has bone-chilling warning as Floridians scramble to evacuate https://t.co/b3qzW1cTIw via @BIZPACReview

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“Nobody up here can save your life if you put yourself in harm’s way,” Florida Sen, Rick Scott said at the same press conference where Moody spoke.

Sheriff Bill Prummell of Charlotte County echoed Moody’s words at a press conference Tuesday.

“If you choose to stay, find yourself a permanent marker. Write your name, your date of birth, and your next of kin on your arm, so we know who you are and who to contact,” he said, according to local news outlet FOX4.

“This is no joke,” he added.

According to Newsweek:

Florida lawmakers have enacted several measures to make evacuation easier. The Florida Division of Emergency Management has teamed up with Uber to give free rides to people trying to reach nearby safe zones, and Governor Ron DeSantis has removed tolls from roads in West Florida and Central Florida as well as Alligator Alley and 595 Express, so that people do not need to worry about the cost of driving through the state.

Hurricane Milton, coming on the heels of deadly Hurricane Helene, is packing winds in excess of 160 mph and is expected to trigger a storm surge as high as 15 feet. Helene is responsible for over 200 deaths, including 20 people in the state of Florida.

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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida. Powers also contributes to BizPac Review.