A Canadian couple living in the Tampa area had a gut-wrenching decision to make this week: Stay and face a looming hurricane or flee north, hoping their home would still be there when they returned.
Paul and Stacey Vautour, originally from Canada, moved to Florida seven years ago.
Now, they find themselves part of the mass exodus as Hurricane Milton barrels toward the state.
“When they’re this severe, you really just can’t stay,” said Paul.
U.S. forecasters are warning of destructive waves, devastating winds and flash flooding as Hurricane Milton makes its way from the Yucatan Peninsula toward Florida.
Initially expected to hit the west coast as a Category 3 storm, Milton is now a Category 5, with wind speeds reaching 270 km/h.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center called it “an extremely life-threatening situation” Tuesday, with the storm about 775 kilometres southwest of Tampa.
Speaking with CTV News Windsor, Stacey said the couple was going to hunker down at home, until a friend who worked for the county issued a stern warning.
“I told Paul, I think we have to go,” she said.
“We just have to go.”
The couple said their neighbourhood hadn’t even had time to recover from Helene – which blew through the state last week.
“We’re in the middle of cleaning that up and now, all that debris is outside,” Stacey said.
“[Nearby residents] had four to six feet of water in their homes,” added Paul, “And this one’s supposed to be twice that.”
The Vautours left home Monday, leaving all their belongings behind to wait out the storm in Atlanta.
“What am I going to do, drag my couch?” Stacey said.
“It’s hard leaving everything behind, but at least we’re safe.”
They said more than two days before the storm was even set to hit, the freeways were jammed.
“There’s only one way out and it’s up,” Paul said.
“Everyone’s on the same roads trying to do the same thing. It’s a lot.”
Despite the frenzy, Paul remarked on a sense of community among evacuees.
“We’re all in this together,” he said.
“Everybody’s about to get their behinds handed to them all at once.”
The U.S. National Hurricane Center expects Milton to reach Florida’s west coast Wednesday night, bringing winds of up to 270 km/h and life-threatening storm surges.
As the Vautours wait out the storm in Atlanta, they remain hopeful they’ll have something to return to.
“We’re going to pack up the next day and head back home to see what’s left,” Stacey said, acknowledging the uncertainty that lies ahead.
She fears for those who chose to stay and is praying for them.
“There’s still time to get out for those who haven’t left yet,” said Stacey.
“It’s not too late.”