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!!

People need not to have ''aggressive dogs'' then they could go to public shelters.

No one ''needs'' an aggressive dog that is so bad it can't be taken to a public shelter.

Muzzle the blooming thing securely and take it.

Or, even worse, "be better". 🤮

That makes me think of ‘the parable of the drowning man’. Why doesn’t he believe god is looking after him by providing free ubers and safe shelters?

Speaking as someone who has experienced a hurricane in Florida, in the Keys, in fact, I found there were two types of Floridians—the type that evacuated and the type that stayed and, very often, partied with a fatalistic air of "If I'm going to die I'd rather die partying".

For most Floridians, this will not have been their first hurricane, and they figure they were OK last time and they'll be OK this time.

It's not inevitable that everyone who stays will die you know. You seem to think it is.

https://www.fema.gov/press-release/20241008/fema-federal-response-positioned-fully-support-florida-ahead-milton-landfall

There are free buses, shelters, camping grounds and special low rates for private accommodation plus state fuel reserves and millions of meals and gallons of water prepared for evacuees.

I think people forget that animals have absolutely excellent survival instincts and are well placed to go it alone if the need arises. They're not distracted by the ridiculous things that some humans seem to be, they just focus on surviving and go for it, and if there's shelter or high point to be found, they'll find it.

If you can't evacuate when your life is in danger because your dog is aggressive or you have chickens, then brain rot really has set in. Sorry to be so harsh but really!

Humans can be deeply dim sometimes.

Also, people can be in deep 'denial'

I completely agree, putting an aggressive dog over the safety of children is criminally negligent.

The hysteria on this thread from people who are so far away from Florida, they might as well be on the bloody moon is ridiculous. The vast majority of sensible people who choose to evacuate will do so with their pets and their children, strangely enough. You don’t have to bloody choose, you certainly don’t have to kill them before you evacuate! Absolute madness. Yes, it’s more difficult if you have farm animals or large animals but again, the majority of people are sensible enough to let them loose, move them to higher ground etc.

If people have chosen not to evacuate, it’s not because they value their pet’s life over their child, it’s because rightly or wrongly, they don’t actually believe their lives are at risk. You see a snapshot of someone’s life on the internet - maybe they don’t have the funds to evacuate, maybe they’ve made an error in judgment and left it too late, maybe they’re using their dog or their chickens or whatever as an excuse because they just don’t want to. Free Ubers and coaches can’t take everyone, you are underestimating the sheer size of the area. As others said, they will also have experienced many hurricanes in their time and survived and probably think they can do the same with this one.

Instead of talking about babies like their death is a forgone conclusion and judging folk in a situation you have never been in, how about you wish them luck and say a little prayer for them. It’s absolutely ghoulish behaviour, I think some of the folk on here actually enjoy when these kind of things happen.

Click bait

Completely agree.

As I’m not religious, I don’t think ‘saying a little prayer’ is going to help. I guess I’m trying to understand. And rant my frustration and sadness.

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.

Perfectly happy to remove the trigger warning if you like 🤷🏻‍♀️

Most people eat animals. The truth is some animals live an unpleasant captive life and death because their muscles and other parts taste nice when cooked. Many of those same people are going to the other extreme of effectively killing themselves and their companion animals because they can’t bear to be separated?!

how about you wish them luck and say a little prayer for them

I'm not understanding the logic here. Isn't this hurricane an act of God? Doesn't God have control over this? Pretty sure if he wanted to stop it, he could. Asking nicely isn't really going to help, is it?

Absolutely true that of course not everyone who stays will die, and people draw on their previous experience. AND it can change direction or lose power etc, and damage different areas to greater/lesser extents ... BUT if it's being called as the largest hurricane in a century by the meteorological service you they do kind of need to see the distinction between the events.

And generators. There must be a lot of fuel can filling as well.

Oh for flip sake. I think there should be a fine for people that have " TRIGGER WARNING" or "LIGHTHEARTED" in their posts.

Snowflakes.

I agree. And why the trigger warning!?

Yes, exactly. Why would this trigger people in the UK? Because we've experienced tornadoes and hurricanes here?

They're just words, no need to get so offended ❄

I'm not going by TikTok or the BBC, but what my family members in Mississippi went through with Katrina, and (far more recently) with another branch of my family in North Carolina whose town is still cut off, and who are still trying to clear up the shambles after Helene.

The American authorities are quite right in what they are doing. Hopefully this storm won't be as bad as feared, but they need to evacuate as many people as possible to be on the safe side.

Have people really forgotten what happened in New Orleans?

I know...It's just stubbornness.

The more people offered him safe places and money , the more he refused.

The only British survivor of Estonia disaster said some people were just paralysed emotionally - Even at a stage when they could have possibly saved themselves.

Later translations of survivor women said that ''men were not moving'' - so some people have the 'survivor drive' and others don't.

{This was a serious ship disaster, but showed the different attitudes prevalent}

I have friends in Florida, one only 15k from Tampa - she can't get out because the roads are gridlocked and there's no fuel anywhere. They have no choice but to hope for the best.

Trigger warning for a hurricane in Florida.. Batshit crazy.