Tampa mayor issues dire warning before Hurricane Milton: ‘If you choose to stay … you are going to die’
SUMMARY
Tampa Mayor Jane Castor issued a dire warning as Hurricane Milton hurtles toward Florida’s coast, urging residents in evacuation zones to flee immediately. “If you choose to stay—you are going to die,” Castor stated bluntly during an interview on CNN. The Category 5 storm is expected to bring unprecedented destruction, with tidal surges predicted to reach 10-12 feet, far exceeding the 6-foot surge of last week’s Hurricane Helene. “This is literally catastrophic,” Castor warned, stressing the storm's severity. “I can say without any dramatization whatsoever if you choose to stay in one of those evacuation areas, you’re gonna die.” As residents scrambled to evacuate, panic buying emptied store shelves, and highways became congested with fleeing cars. “This is something that I’ve never seen in my life… and people need to get out,” Castor emphasized, adding, “If we have this predicted storm surge, this is not survivable.” Hurricane Milton is expected to make landfall as early as Wednesday.