In Hudson, an area hard-hit by Hurricane Helene less than two weeks ago, it appears people there are heeding the warnings from officials and getting out.
Neighbors across Sea Ranch Drive said most people there had left already by Tuesday afternoon or had plans to move inland. The locals say after what they saw during Hurricane Helene, they’re not taking any chances with Milton.
"People are just exhausted, they’re over it," said resident Melissa Horn. "After ten days of demo and clean up, people just packed up their stuff yesterday and said, 'I’m done.' They’re physically, mentally, emotionally exhausted."
Resident Michael Cannizzo said "Pretty much everybody is going to be getting out of here just in case. Plus, it's being required by the county."
Meanwhile, county first responders are driving across the mandatory evacuation zones urging people to leave over their car speaker systems.
In a video that has been viewed more than 130,000 times on X, first responders can be heard saying: "This applies to you and you must leave this area now. You're running out of time to get to safety. Pasco is expecting dangerous storm surge and damaging winds and it's not safe to stay in these homes along Pasco's coastline. If you have nowhere else to go, shelters are open."
Once you evacuate, Pasco Sheriff Chris Nocco is urging residents to let their loved ones know what their plan is.
"The big thing for us is we don’t want to be overloaded with welfare checks," said Nocco. "That’s when people from out of state say they 'can’t get ahold of their loved ones, can you go check on them?' So tell them where you are, where you’ll be, and for how long, because that will allow us to go handle regular things we’re doing to prepare for the storm."
One of Sheriff Nocco's other major concerns tonight is the debris remaining from Hurricane Helene. The sheriff said it will make their jobs as first responders all the more difficult to navigate during this storm and they won’t go out once the hurricane-strength winds are here. He said it is all the more reason to evacuate now.
Pasco County opened hurricane shelters for anyone who needs to leave their home ahead of Hurricane Milton and has nowhere else to stay. All shelters are accepting family pets.
The following shelters are now open:
- Centennial Middle School, 38505 Centennial Road, Dade City
- Fivay High School, 12115 Chicago Avenue, Hudson
- Wesley Chapel High School, 30651 Wells Road, Wesley Chapel
- River Ridge Middle and High Schools, 11646 Town Center Road, New Port Richey
- Sunlake High School, 3023 Sunlake Boulevard, Land O’ Lakes
- Fasano Regional Hurricane Center, 11611 Denton Avenue, Hudson (Special Needs Only)