TRIGGER WARNING I can’t believe some people aren’t evacuating in Florida

[Newsenmum]

I really don’t mean to be insensitive. This hurricane Milton is terrifying but I’m really struggling to understand this. I know there are some awful situations where people can’t drive/are disabled or elderly and feel helpless but what I CAN’T understand is people not trying. Like they’re completely putting their head in the sand.

I’m part of a few mum Facebook groups that are mostly American. I kid you not, people are staying in zones with their little babies where there is mandatory evacuation. Some reasons why they aren’t leaving:

• my dog is aggressive and won’t be allowed in the shelter, so I’m staying put with him and going to hope and pray. Why is the dog worth more than a kid?
• i have too many animals which don’t fit in the car, I’m worried about the chickens (!!) again.. wtf? Basically suicide for their kids because they don’t want to leave chickens!
• im from flORIda so I’ll be fine! Hopefully it’s not as bad as they think. I don’t want to disrupt us. wtf??
• my babies have a block safe room and that’s ‘normally fine’

There are other Americans trying to send them money, urging them to go storm shelters or at least a bit more inland!

These are people in areas that have 15ft storm surge, there is so much debris already around that is going to be trashing their houses. If they want a certain death for themselves then fine but can’t get over them not saving their babies 😭😭😭 all because they won’t leave the bloody chickens that are going to drown either way!!

I love my dog, abd the idea of leaving her behind in such circumstances. Which is why I would make sure that I had a good plan to get us both to safety, rather than potentially condemning us both to death.

I find the human capacity to love so deeply across the species boundary that they sacrifice for non-human animals to be one of the few redeeming features of human beings, personally.

I hope those who stay in place get through it safely.

Yes. I could pull the trigger. I'd hate it but it would be easier than walking out the door and leaving her to drown. I'd be relieved that I had the gun and could do it. Just like I let the vet inject my previous cat with a barbiturate to put to sleep.

I've just seen sky news with a woman putting her faith in god with a 3 year old and she's didn't mention a hurricane safe house

This. Not one of you knows how you would react - whether rationally or irrationally - if you were faced with this absolutely terrifying situation.

Agreed!

Well I kind of do I would get out at first whiff but we don't know really work making people stay and so on. Like being held at work without an raging pandemic coming at us

Zero sympathy for those who think God will save them and have time to put up TikToks saying so, rather than doing what they've had several days warning about and get the hell out. It's why the whole human race is on the verge of extinction because people will not believe warnings by scientists about how we're destroying the planet. It's completely different if you're genuinely stuck and can't get out because of gridlocked roads, then of course it's tragic.

Yanbu people like this put emergency workers in danger. And honestly the people with kids I find disgusting them poor kids have no choices and just dumb parents. Although I do think some of the people on social media aren't actually in the danger zones but want the views.

@Jessie1259

Not if it's a Cat 3 when it hits, Helene was a Cat 4 when it hit for starters. Hoping that they're right and it doesn't pick back up again. There have been a lot of storms that reached Cat 5 previously though including of course Katrina.

Some meterologist on the news said that the Cat 3/4/5 wouldn't make much difference now because the hurricane is so massive and it is related to speed. So he said it was like the difference between a skater spinning on ice all tucked in or spinning with her arms spread out. One is faster but narrower, the other is slower but wider.

If it gets downgraded it means it is bigger and it's strength over sea means there will be a big storm surge. As they say you can hide from wind but you need to run from water thats 15 ft high. So what this guy was saying was the wind damage may be less if it slows down but there will be more storm surge along much more of the coast because its massive already and will just get wider - like the skater putting her arms out.

I have zero weather qualifications and am just repeating what the expert on the BBC said so no idea if true or not but sounds plausible and I'd believe a specialist meterologist.

On the American facebook stuff that keeps coming up on my feed it’s all the talk of prayers and praying that gets me! Do they not see the irony of their belief in a God who they believe is all powerful and could therefore stop the storm? But no they’re praying to that God to keep them safe from that storm 🤔

Sorry I wasn't clear - the BBC is in agreement that winds of up to 145mph are forecast.

It looks like being a bloody awful storm, I hope all those who haven't been able to evacuate, or who have chosen to stay, are ok.

How are you and your horse planning to survive this, followed by 15 ft deep flooding?

Why might it be better? Does @ymemanresu have an undisclosed hotline to the Almighty and persuasive powers that can keep safe those whom He has until now intended to destroy? If so, we should be told. It would explain a lot.

This hurricane is expected to hit the whole state. Not everywhere is an evacuation zone expecting a storm surge but most of the state is forecast to see impacts of at least flooding from rain, surge or high winds. All of which are expected to be increased by the debris from Helene still present. At the minute it is still forecast the path it’s going to take but is tracking further south than predicted, so may impact people not anticipated to impact.

Florida is surrounded on 3 sides by ocean, the only place to evacuate is north. It’s not like going from Birmingham to Manchester. It’s like going from Southampton to the Scottish Borders. When everyone else between the Scottish Borders and Southampton is also trying to head north. And the petrol stations along the motorways have run out of fuel. And the motorways are at a standstill. Without a baby or stopping, that journey is 8 hours. Adding in stopping for adults and it would be 9 hours, maybe 10 depending on queues at services. Add in stopping for a young child and it’s going to be at least 12 hours. Now add in gridlock, using more petrol, trying to find petrol stations that have some fuel, which may mean leaving the motorways.

The US also has a work-heavy culture and many people are not given time off to prepare for things like a hurricane. Many US workers have to decide if they can afford the 3 unpaid days, after they’ve probably used 2 unpaid days for Helene, to evacuate. What if your husband can’t leave work? What if he works for Disney that operated a half day? Do you want to drive for 16 hours with a baby along highways that are subject to flooding from rain and high winds? Potentially risking your life to die in the car trying by to evacuate? Do you leave without your husband?

There’s also an emotional response. It’s your home that you are leaving. Yes, it’s just things. But it’s also the place you brought your baby home to. It’s your safe space, the place you’ve worked hard for and you have to leave that during a very scary time. For a lot of people, if they are going to die, they would rather die at home. That’s not specifically related to them being stupid either, it’s why palliative care teams try to get people home. Yes there are shelters but they’re already busy from Helene. Even if they weren’t, there isn’t enough capacity for everyone because it’s a huge area.

I don’t know what I would do in that situation and I hope I never find myself in such a situation but until I do, I won’t be judging how anyone else handles it.

Even if it is downgraded to Category 3, that is not a small storm. Category 3 means winds of 111-129mph and the NHC says "Devastating damage will occur: Well-built framed homes may incur major damage or removal of roof decking and gable ends. Many trees will be snapped or uprooted, blocking numerous roads. Electricity and water will be unavailable for several days to weeks after the storm passes."

As things stand it is still a Cat 4 with wind speeds of 145mph as per the last update at 6pm GMT

Some of us have been faced with these situations and know how we responded.

I've done bushfire evacuations where we'd done everything we could to create a a barn haven for our animals, but we knew ultimately it probably wouldn't be enough.

I've also done cyclone evacuations that meant bunking down at a school auditorium for a couple of nights.

You make a plan, you have some humility in the face of nature, and you don't make excuses to diverge from the plan even an inch.

I think it must be much harder when you're faced with a sudden extreme emergency, like the Estonia. I have no idea how I'd react to that sort of thing (and I v much hope I never find out.)

Florida is 417 miles long. That's a heck of a long way to be nose to nose in traffic jams.

God gave them plenty of warnings and places to go, they must not have listened

I’ve met some that believe god will fix climate change so we don’t need to worry

Some people still have to work today so haven’t been able to evacuate

How can I know as I'm in England, be I'd like to think I'd be prepaired if I lived in a area of frequent bad weather. Store a emergency stash of petrol, never let my tank of fuel go under 1/2 full. Have a half arsed list of what to pack in bags and know what would fit into my car. Its something I wonder about often. We have two cars, four kids. Always have some food and water and try yo have two weeks of prescription medication in the house. I did need to spend more. My tank fuel costs no more or less if its always half full or running on fumes. It costs what it costs to fill the tank.

I'm sure there are lots of people like me who could be ready to drive from one end of the UK to another for two weeks without going to a shop or buying petrol. But there's lots who people who think people like me are nuts. Lots who need to rush out because they buy what they need only as needed. Lots who think everything ( science, covid, cancer, the planet being round etc) is just pure BS.

We are all different aren't we. Because I had 4 kids on the day of covid lockdown eg, I could look at the panic buying and be glad always have more food than I need for the week in. I already had calpol and loo roll etc.

I didn't feel the urge to judge. Just felt grateful I was the right side of how different people process life on that occasion. If I was in that area the day I knew about the storm, I'd be gone already. Finecwith dying with a roof failing in on me but would fancy watching my kids drown.

I would firstly not live in Florida because of it.

But if I did, I'd have left with kids and pets at first mention of it. There is always a way if you consider it enough of an emergency.

It’s easy to say what we think we would do but reality is often different. If you have a job that requires you to work and you are scared to lose it, if you have nowhere to go and no way to transport you and your family, if you are caring for someone who is disabled, sick or elderly.

OP - did you not just put 'TRIGGER WARNING' on your thread just to get some clicks & extra drama going? That seems more likely to me than your explanation.

There are loads of women like that on local Facebook groups where the moment anyone posts something like 'There's a police helicopter above', they all rush in the comments with their faux concerns going 'I hope everyone's safe!!! Thoughts & prayers 🫶 🙏💗xxx '

Meanwhile, most people around them know they're only there for the drama and the name of the house the helicopter is over for some gossip.