Florida is bracing for the arrival of Hurricane Milton, a massive storm that is expected to hit Tampa late Wednesday or early Thursday and could bring storm surges as high as 15 feet to the state's western coastline and wind speeds of 155 miles per hour.
Residents in evacuation zones are being warned in no uncertain terms about the danger of staying put during the monster storm.
During a CNN appearance on Monday, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor flat out told Floridians in these zones they will “die” if they remain.
“We have 126 miles of coast just in the city of Tampa, and so people need to be heeding that warning,” she said.
“This is literally catastrophic, and I can say without any dramatization whatsoever: If you choose to stay in one of those evacuation areas, you're going to die.”
When CNN's Kaitlan Collins noted that given her experience with hurricanes, that's not something she would say lightly, Castor said she's never shared that kind of warning before.
While Milton's winds had topped 180 mph as a powerful Category 5 storm, they dropped early Tuesday morning, downgrading the system to a Category 4 storm, though one that still poses an "extremely serious threat" to Florida, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Tampa Bay Mayor Jane Castor issues a stark warning as Hurricane Milton approaches:
— The American Conservative (@amconmag) October 8, 2024
"If you stay in one of those evacuation centers, you're going to die. I've never said that... People need to get out."pic.twitter.com/bf4oKYBZmm
"This is something that I have never seen in my life and I can tell you that anyone who has been born and raised in the Tampa Bay area has never seen anything like this before. People need to get out," Castor said.
"If we have that predicted storm surge, it is not survivable," she added.