As Hurricane Milton approaches many cities were largely deserted but some people decided to shelter in place

Most left when they were told to. But some chose to stay, even though officials warned Hurricane Milton would turn their homes into coffins.

Along Florida’s Gulf coast, where millions of people were urged to get out of harm’s way, cities were largely deserted on Wednesday afternoon as time ran out to evacuate. Those who remained were advised to shelter in place as best they could. Others who fled spoke of their dread at what, if anything, they would return to once the storm had passed.

William Tokajer, police chief of Holmes Beach, told islanders who planned to stay to write their names, dates of birth and social security numbers on their limbs with Sharpies to help identify their bodies after the storm.

  • vegeta@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    105
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    2 months ago

    And the Lord said, I sent ye a sign. A sign that said evacuate, and ye didn’t listen.

  • themeatbridge@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    67
    arrow-down
    6
    ·
    2 months ago

    Ok, but when they are standing on their own roofs waving at helicopters, I want rescuers to just wave back. Let their gods come down and risk life and limb to save their stubborn asses.

    • ladicius@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      28
      ·
      2 months ago

      I think the helicopter people shouldn’t only be waving.

      An additional thumbs up could deliver so much inspiration and motivation!

      • themeatbridge@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        10
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        2 months ago

        Am I? I care about the lives of people who help people. The people who obstinately refuse to leave when given ample warning because they think they know better are not deserving of the sacrifices made by emergency personnel.

        • machineLearner@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          2
          arrow-down
          15
          ·
          2 months ago

          this is why I hate liberals. So high all the fucking time. People have circumstances, and maybe sometimes can’t afford a starbucks every day or to leave their houses. More than likely in america, they were failed by their education system. Yet you still revel in their suffering.

          • Burn_The_Right@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            8
            arrow-down
            2
            ·
            2 months ago

            This is either a strawman argument or a complete misunderstanding on your part. Given that conservatives are biologically incapable of being honest, I’m going with the former.

            No one is suggesting that people without the means to evacuate should suffer. No one. Not a single fucking person.

            Every word uttered by a conservative is either deception or manipulation.

            • vala@lemmy.world
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              3
              arrow-down
              3
              ·
              2 months ago

              Just because someone is talking poorly about liberals doesn’t make them a conservative.

              There is a whole other side of politics to the left of liberal. For example, socialists, communists anarchists etc.

              Thinking liberal=“the left” is American propaganda. Liberals are basically centrists.

              • Burn_The_Right@lemmy.world
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                4
                ·
                2 months ago

                You were referring to another commenter as a “liberal” in the exact same way conservatives refer to everyone left of Trump as a liberal. You are transparently bad at this.

                • vala@lemmy.world
                  link
                  fedilink
                  arrow-up
                  1
                  ·
                  edit-2
                  2 months ago

                  I wasn’t doing anything. You are confusing me with another person.

                  For the record I’m probably what most would consider “a leftist”. I’m absolutely not not a conservative, but also absolutely not a liberal.

            • machineLearner@lemmy.world
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              3
              arrow-down
              5
              ·
              2 months ago

              Im not a conservative at all actually. But suppose that the people not evacuating had the means to and were dumb as fuck. Eating popcorn while watching them suffer instead of praying or wishing them well is monstrous.

              • Burn_The_Right@lemmy.world
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                5
                arrow-down
                3
                ·
                edit-2
                2 months ago

                Im not a conservative…

                This sounds like deception.

                suppose that the people not evacuating had the means to…

                You are moving the goalpost. What happened to all those evil “liberals” laughing at those who couldn’t afford to flee? Why does your story of these imaginary evil liberals change so easily? Could it be because you are just throwing things at the wall to see what will stick? That’s the most common conservative strategy for attacking non-conservatives this year, so that makes sense.

                Eating popcorn while watching them suffer instead of praying…

                More conservative strawman nonsense. Who is doing that? Is the scary godless non-conservative in the room with us right now?

                Every word uttered by a conservative is deception or manipulation. Your comment thread here seems to be an illustration of that.

  • TommySoda@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    55
    ·
    2 months ago

    One of my good friends lives in Tampa and his mom took the car and bailed while he was taking out the dogs. He’s stuck at home this very moment and I only hope he’s safe

  • PrincessLeiasCat@sh.itjust.works
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    55
    ·
    edit-2
    2 months ago

    In Venice, about 40 miles (64km) to the south, Sherry Hall and her family decided to stay in their house several blocks from the ocean, despite many of their neighbors leaving amid warnings of a storm surge up to 15ft. Her husband, Tommy, prepared the property with shutters and sandbags, and she said they had generators, portable air conditioning units, and plenty of water and food to be self-sufficient.

    Let me know how well the portable AC & generators work in 15ft of water, Sherry.

  • PorradaVFR@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    41
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    2 months ago

    I wonder if they’ll ever consider that an almighty god could, you know, NOT send the hurricane instead.

      • vxx@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        4
        ·
        edit-2
        2 months ago

        I thought it was enough to not be a murder, a thief or a cheater. Well, you also shouldn’t sell your soul to the devil.

        Once you’ve sold it, no storm will save you. If you haven’t sold it, you don’t need a storm.

        I think they’re so scared of god and think they have to be tested, because they already failed and have sinned by being envious, hateful or greedy.

    • P00ptart@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      11
      ·
      2 months ago

      “Gods calling me!” Means the same thing as “I’m stupid and think I’m important.”

  • recentSloth43@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    31
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    edit-2
    2 months ago

    Why would their god send a murderous hurricane then protect them from it? Feels like mafia tactics to make people rely on it.

    P.s. the second ‘it’ refers to their god

  • AlligatorBlizzard@sh.itjust.works
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    26
    ·
    2 months ago

    William Tokajer, police chief of Holmes Beach, told islanders who planned to stay to write their names, dates of birth and social security numbers on their limbs with Sharpies to help identify their bodies after the storm.

    This isn’t a new suggestion. I remember this being told to people staying in spite of evac orders for a previous nasty storm, iirc it was Key West hearing it that time. It scared the shit out of some people back then and convinced them to leave, sadly the more times you hear something like that the less impact it has. And your neighbor managed to ride it out last time they said that…

    • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      10
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      2 months ago

      I don’t know if they ever said it beforehand, but it’s been a very prominent bit of information ever since Katrina for obvious reasons.

      • Noel_Skum@sh.itjust.works
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        2 months ago

        In 1984 Frankie Goes To Hollywood released their single Two Tribes. It’s about that perennial eighties trope of the imminent planet-ending nuclear apocalypse we were all hanging about for at the time. The track and remixes contain spoken samples from at least two UK government publications regarding what to do when the bombs came - it mentions id-ing corpses in a similar manner. There was a booklet sent out to every house, from the government, called “Protect and Survive” It’s hilariously optimistic about my chances of survival.

        • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          2 months ago

          I know of that, but didn’t know about Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s song. Raymond Briggs’ book/animated film When the Wind Blows was also a response to Protect and Survive and there’s a Young Ones episode that mocks it as well.

          • Noel_Skum@sh.itjust.works
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            1
            ·
            2 months ago

            When the Wind Blows is a perfect response to Protect and Survive… I simply never connected the dots as a kid. I don’t know about the Young Ones getting in on the act. Gonna have a look for that later. Every now and again I stop to think whether it might’ve been best if someone had pushed the button and called time on the eighties - and humanity as we know it. I can’t believe we dodged the nuclear apocalypse (so far) and still ended-up squabbling and artificially divided.

              • Noel_Skum@sh.itjust.works
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                2
                ·
                2 months ago

                Geo-blocked… but it’s on iplayer so will try and get that working instead. I’ve been told US / commercial-station versions sometimes miss out the band. Don’t know if is true - but looking forward to seeing Dexy’s on this episode. I have a copy of Protect and Survive. 50p cost and a foreword dated May, 1980. Page 24: “If a death occurs while you are confined to the fall-out room place the body in another room and cover it as securely as possible. Attach an identification.”

                • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
                  link
                  fedilink
                  arrow-up
                  1
                  ·
                  edit-2
                  2 months ago

                  It used to be shown in the U.S. on MTV in the 80s. They kept the bands, but cut the episodes down for time so they could show commercials and occasionally cut out the jokes they thought Americans would get super offended by. There’s a bit in the episode Party where a cop tries to arrest someone and they turn around and the cop says, “oh sorry, I thought you were a N–.” I think that’s some pretty funny commentary about racist cops, but I’m guessing it wouldn’t have played well in 1980s America.

                  Also, I had them all taped from the MTV broadcasts except the episode Nasty, which I didn’t see until years later when I could buy commercial tapes. I’m guessing the fact that it was about video nasties made it too over-the-top at the time even though you never actually see footage from one.

                  Edit: They also used to show Monty Python’s Flying Circus but they put a content warning beforehand, done in the style of a Gilliam animation that told you to not watch if you’re offended. But come on, it’s Python we’re talking about here, not a Frankie Boyle comedy routine.

  • Mike1576218@lemmy.ml
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    16
    ·
    2 months ago

    The biggest problem, 25% (or however many) will survive this and be unharmed. Those are the ones others will hear about because god saved them. It will not matter how many believers died.

  • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    11
    ·
    2 months ago

    I sincerely hope that the Lemmy user who said they lived on a sailboat in Florida and were going to ride out the storm is okay.

  • Blaster M@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    9
    ·
    edit-2
    2 months ago

    You don’t put God to the test by putting yourself in a dangerous situation and expecting him to just save you from your own stupidity.