Britons in Florida say they are 'preparing for the worst' as Hurricane Milton hits

British nationals successful Florida person said they were “preparing for the worst” arsenic Hurricane Milton made landfall connected the westbound seashore of the authorities precocious connected Wednesday night.

Kate Collins, 52, told the PA quality bureau she is not surviving successful a mandatory evacuation portion but has gathered supplies for the hurricane, including a generator, batteries, lanterns, food, and water.

Ms Collins, who was raised successful Plymouth and moved to Florida 30 years ago, said she is sheltering with 5 radical and 5 dogs successful her location successful Volusia County, which is nether mandatory curfew from 8pm section clip connected Wednesday.

“The temper successful the location is definite anxiety. Preparing for the worst and hoping for the best,” Ms Collins said.

She said: “After 30 years I bash deliberation you go complacent but this 1 had maine acrophobic from the commencement - telephone it a gut feeling but I did hole aboriginal enough.

“Some neighbours person boarded their windows and it is eerily quiet. Store shelves are beauteous bare and the bulk of essentials similar h2o and state for cars and batteries are hard if not intolerable to find.”

“I americium acold little acrophobic astir my location than the information of my household and friends. You tin regenerate worldly items but not nonaccomplishment of life. Of people it would beryllium devastating but we tin rebuild,” she said.

“We conscionable experienced Helene which near our neighbours to the northbound and westbound of america successful a captious concern with nary clip to adust retired and cleanable up.

“There is nary uncertainty that our authorities volition acquisition devastating nonaccomplishment owed to the size and strength of this storm, we tin lone commune that it does not see nonaccomplishment of lives.”

British nationalist Mark Firth, 43, told PA that helium took a formation retired of Lakeland - astir a 45-minute thrust from Tampa - connected Sunday to evacuate with his woman and 2 children aged 7 and 5 due to the fact that helium was disquieted astir the imaginable effects of the hurricane.

The entrepreneur, from Nottingham, said: “Everything’s astatine home. I mean, it’s not ideal, it’s precise unsettling, it’s precise uncertain astir what is going to beryllium determination erstwhile we get back.

“We’re not connected the seashore but we decided that we wanted to permission anyway, due to the fact that it’s the power, it’s the infrastructure and also, I believe, having the quality to get out, we should permission the resources for the radical who request to stay.”

Mr Firth experienced Hurricane Ian successful Florida successful 2022, which “went implicit america straight and shook the house”, helium said, adding that the dependable of the winds was similar a bid going by.

As helium had lone precocious moved to Florida, helium had “no idea” however almighty Hurricane Ian would beryllium and said: “By the clip we figured retired it’s going to travel implicit us, it was already excessively late.”

“I said to myself, I’m not going to fto this hap again, adjacent if there’s an inkling something’s coming, I’m going to leave.”

“I don’t privation to spell done that this time,” helium said.

He had a “gut feeling” his location was going to beryllium good but was “very worried” for the radical of Florida.

“It’s terrible. It’s truly terrible,” helium said.