Some Floridians remain despite warnings of danger to their lives: “We have faith in the Lord” | Hurricane Milton

Most left when they were told to. But some chose to stay despite authorities warning that Hurricane Milton would turn their homes into coffins.

Along Florida's Gulf Coast, where millions of people were urged to stay out of harm's way, towns were largely deserted Wednesday afternoon as time for evacuation ran out. Those who remained were advised to seek shelter where they could as best they could. Others who fled spoke of their fear of where, if anywhere, they would return when the storm passed.

“I'm afraid that I won't have a house anymore, that it will simply be torn down. I'm afraid my island is going to sink into the water,” said Amanda Champ, who was evacuated to Alabama on Monday from her home on Anna Maria Island, north of Sarasota, with her husband, children and two dogs.

“I'm afraid that everyone's belongings are floating around and that there's just no way to get back there. I don’t know what to expect.”

Holmes Beach Police Chief William Tokajer urged islanders who wanted to stay to write their names, dates of birth and Social Security numbers on their limbs with Sharpies so their bodies could be identified after the storm.

His alarming words resonated with Champ and the rest of Anna Maria's population of about 1,000, confirming a message they had been hearing for days. Tokajer said Wednesday he did not believe any residents remained behind.

“I'm a firm believer that things are just things and that what matters is the people, the memories, your friends and family and how you live your life,” said Champ, known as the Coconut Lady on Anna Maria Island for their business of selling coconuts to tourists and locals.

“When we were packing to leave, my nine-year-old son said, 'Mom, I don't need anything.'” He didn't want to take anything with him, he just brought clothes. He says, 'There are people who need things more than I do.'”

Champ and her family moved into a condo in Gulf Shores, Alabama, where she spent Wednesday preparing her coconut stand for a planned shrimp festival. It's a welcome distraction from hurricane fears, she said.

The messages from local authorities were completely clear, she said. “They went around telling people to leave,” she said. “We just pray that everyone listens and evacuates.”

In Venice, about 40 miles (64 km) south, Sherry Hall and her family decided to stay in their home several blocks from the ocean even as many of their neighbors left amid warnings of a storm surge of up to 15 feet had. Her husband, Tommy, prepared the property with shutters and sandbags, and she said they had generators, portable air conditioning and plenty of water and food to sustain themselves.

The couple and their 18-year-old son Devin didn't want to get tangled up in heavy traffic on the escape routes or spend hours looking for hotels. But she said she is still worried and has heard Gulf waves crashing on the beach during previous storms.

“I'm not saying I'm not worried. I'm not worried about myself or my husband, but when you have children you worry about them,” she said. “As for life-threatening situations and everything else, we have good faith in the Lord and hope and pray for everyone, not just ourselves. Objects can be replaced, but life is not about things, but about people and their safety.”

Hall, a hospital administration employee, said although some neighbors left, many others remained. However, everyone made their decisions taking into account the authorities' warnings, she said.

“Word got around well about the storm. They tell you that at a certain point they can't come and save you, they tell people, you know, if you decide to stay, it's at your own risk and basically your life,” she said .

“They also tell you that it might take a while for the storm to pass and we don't know when we will reach you. They inform the public. Do I think a lot of people listened this time? Yes, I think a lot of people left. And then there are those who try to hide as best they can.”

Christine Bottger, general manager of the Clearwater Beach Holiday Inn, also decided to stay. “We're in a pretty safe area and in a pretty solid house, and honestly if I could have left we would have been without a hotel room and then maybe stuck on a highway, not where I want to be in the middle of a storm,” she said.

She said the waterfront hotel suffered significant damage and was inundated by two feet of water during Hurricane Helene two weeks ago. Contractors were only on site on Monday to begin repair work.

Now Bottger fears wind damage from Milton will cause further delays, although she said the hotel's roughly 120 employees, whom she calls family, would be happy to help with the cleanup.

She said even if the hotel cannot reopen to guests, its rooms could accommodate first responders and essential workers to speed the city's recovery.

“We can engage the utilities and provide them with a clean space with a comfortable bed and help get the infrastructure they need back up and running,” she said. “It helps everyone. The pool contains 60cm of sand and the restaurant in Helene was destroyed, but they will not use it.”

Like Champ and Hall, Bottger said local officials' warnings to those who needed to evacuate were clear and to the point, and that residents were more likely to listen to those warnings than to more general communications from state or federal authorities.

“The city manager and police chief drove around the beach yesterday afternoon checking everything before closing the bridges to the barrier islands,” she said.

“They felt that most people heeded the warning. This time around, people noticed the intensity and started taking it seriously when they saw talk of 180 mph winds. It opened their eyes.”