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!!

Well millions of people have heeded the warnings going by the news. I suppose you can't ever convince everyone to leave. Staying behind and trusting in god to protect you is madness though.

I agree. There are several threads on this subject, full of opinions from people who have absolutely no idea what it is like to be in such a situation and yet they think they can judge those who are having to deal with it, in the best way they can.

I can't help wondering if most of the people staying are Republican Trump supporters, who tend to ignore facts and disdain science. Reminds me of how Trump supporters refused to take precautions during the covid epidemic and experienced disproportionately more deaths.

I think it’s hard to understand, if you don’t live in an area that repeatedly experiences warnings, how de-sensitized to them you become. You’re tempted to keep rolling the dice because you’ve heard over and over that this will be “the worst” and it doesn’t pan out, so you’ve convinced yourself it wilk be that way again.

Florida gets a lot of hurricanes. A lot. Milton is in its own category, no pun intended, but if people want to believe it’s overhyped and choose to ignore evacuation warnings, the sheer number of hurricanes that come through the rest of FL in any given decade are there to be their evidence for their own opinions.

Sincerely,
a U.S. mother who has watched countless people around me defy all warnings and travel restrictions or policies during weather events because of how “overrated” it was “last time”.

Your attempt to make a political score is cheap. I am embarrassed for people like you. I believe people like you harm America more than anyone else.

The news are of landing as a category 3.

@dottiehens the president alluded to this yesterday. He didn’t refer to trump supporters but I believe he did refer to conspiracy theorists. I don’t think it’s preposterous to say that there’s a big crossover between the two.

• people expressing opinions (on a chat site)!!

@Overthehype good post and I get those people were correct. Nasty tornadoes but hurricane cat 3

Waking to read the awful news that people have been killed whilst in the shelters.

You can't blame people for wanting to rely on themselves.

Ok, you are embarrassed. Good for you, I suppose.

Any thoughts about the matter?
I'd say people who don't understand science and don't respect it either are more likely to make bad decisions.

Isn’t that exactly why people are watching?

Maybe try to listen to them, to the reasons they give, and to try to imagine it from their point of view rather than through your narrow little frame of reference. Life is much broader and more complex than your take on a smattering of headlines.

One problem is that Florida is an 'at will' state. Leaving might cost you your job, that will cost you your healthcare.

You may have no home and no job to come back to.

Then you need to have the means to escape, a car and fuel, or public transport if it exists.

Is it better to be in a car? A shelter? or your own home?

I wonder when you use the term mandatory that this still means something to everyone. It was manyto social distance and not visit people. Guess what people still did.

Why does this require a TW?

Why does this require a TW?

The OP is morbidly waiting for many deaths to occur and assumes other people will be thinking that too. Tbf there was one ghoul who wished them all a quick death, so she's not the only misery voyeur.

You keep repeating this but it doesn't make it any more true. You can't just "cuddle them while shooting them in the head" - have you ever been there when an animal was shot? I have, and there's a proper way of doing it, which isn't on your knee so you shoot yourself too!

https://x.com/MarkDStrauss/status/1844215802104512563

The roads are gridlocked to get out. There is next to no bottled water or petrol and all the motels and hotels in the surrounding areas are booked. Flights have been hiked from 200$ to 800$. Some people simply can't get out. I saw one lady who sat in traffic for 6 hours with her kids, barely travelled any distance and ended up turning around to come home because she was scared they would get stranded with no petrol still in line to be hit.

It really isn't as simple as just leaving.

Exactly. The sheer ignorance of thinking that loads of people have the option and funds to just waltz out of town for an unknown period of time, leaving their property unattended and potentially damaged, is mind-blowing. There will be shortages of water, petrol, food, places to stay. It's not at all surprising to me that people are willing to roll the dice, if they have hurricane proof houses and plenty of supplies.

The hurricane was already downgraded by the time it hit. If you live somewhere that gets lots of hurricanes this isn't a once in a lifetime event, it's something many will have experienced previously.

I do think there's a difference between people in the general hurricane area making pragmatic decisions based on their own circumstances, and people in the mandatory evacuation zone where flooding is predicted refusing to leave though.

I believe part of the problem is the houses not being made of bricks & mortar but mostly wood instead

That was my point. Anyone not in a brick home really should have left. Storm force 3 is better than predicted and now downgraded to cat 1 heading out to sea.

Inevitable British holidaymakers trying to ride it out

https://x.com/Nullen80/status/1844064776055554274

Yes it is the END OF DAYS.