Hurricane Milton update: Florida residents warned ‘this is the 11th hour’ of Category 4 storm making landfall

Florida residents revealed why they chose not to evacuate despite county mandated orders.

Evacuation orders have been issued for millions of people in Florida ahead of Hurricane Milton’s expected landfall on the state’s west coast on Wednesday night. The storm will then move across the Atlantic Ocean to the East Coast by Thursday afternoon.

Dave Carroll of Vilano Beach, St. Johns County, decided to stay put despite the county’s mandatory evacuation order.

“We are hurricane chasers!” Dave Carroll told Action News Jax.

“And we know from Fort Lauderdale, it’s just Asheville and they’re not prepared for that. This area is prepared for flooding, so if that happens. I think the important thing is the flooding.”

He added: “Our house has never flooded here and we’re not in a flood zone.”

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis declared that “there will be deaths” as Super Hurricane Milton battered the state’s west coast Wednesday night.

“It’s going to bring a lot of ferocity, a lot of danger, a lot of damage. There’s still time to make decisions to ensure your own safety,” he said.

“If you get hit by a 10-foot storm surge, know that you can’t just hunker down. Mother Nature will win that battle.”

He later added, “Unfortunately, if we get a 10-foot storm surge, there will be deaths.”

The governor ended the press conference.

Florida’s governor declared there are still about 170,000 spaces left in hurricane shelters in the state.

DeSantis acknowledged that the shelter is “not a Four Seasons,” but said only 31,000 people had registered to stay at the facility. The governor said the state’s total shelter capacity is about 200,000 people.

“There is space available in these shelters,” DeSantis said. “You might be able to get in your car and drive 10 miles to ride out the storm.”

Kevin Guthrie, executive director of the Florida Department of Emergency Management, acknowledged that “we have space for well over 200,000 people in the affected area…we have room.”

You can find a complete list of shelters here.

Ron DeSantis said Storm Milton will require the largest deployment of track and utility workers in U.S. history as widespread power outages are expected in parts of Florida.

Florida’s governor said more than 50,000 linemen had gathered from as far away as California in preparation for the Milton to make landfall on the West Coast tonight.

Ron DeSantis said the Florida National Guard is preparing for the largest search and rescue operation in state history.

Florida’s governor said hundreds of state search and rescue personnel from 26 teams would be deployed to begin rescue efforts immediately after the storm passes.

He added that more than 6,000 Florida National Guard troops are on standby, with another 3,000 Guard members coming from other states.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis began his press conference on Hurricane Milton on Wednesday morning, ahead of its expected landfall on the state’s west coast later in the evening.

“Although there is an expectation that it will weaken further before landfall, there is great confidence that this hurricane will be very powerful and cause significant damage,” DeSantis warned.