It’s 11pm at night and we’re pouring ourselves some bourbon; both to take the edge off the stressful day we’ve just had – and to steel our nerves for what is to come . We’re hearing news reports about Hurricane Milton ; warnings that it will be the “storm of the century” that will smash into Tampa – where we are right now – within hours.
Our city mayor has put out dire warnings that people who are refusing to leave the zones that have been told to evacuate “could die in their homes”. She’s even said that houses could become “coffins”. But I can’t help but try and be optimisic, rather than the opposite – which doesn’t bear thinking about. Our local news hasn’t sensationalised the dangers, either – it may be that they’re trying to not freak everyone out here because you need to stay as calm as possible to prepare.
But there is an electricity in the air. Winds have started to pick up and now we are settling inside. The news is on 24/7 and we keep getting regular emergency messages come through – the screen goes bright blue and lets you know whether your zone has to be evacuated or not . Our house is about two miles north of downtown Tampa and our neighborhood is directly on the Hillsborough River. We haven’t been told to evacuate , so we’re staying put.