Florida homeowners fleeing the unprecedented Hurricane Milton say they are ‘all doomed’ and fear they won’t have homes to return to.
Terrified Floridians are bracing for 175mph winds as the Category 5 storm barrels through the Gulf of Mexico and towards Tampa Bay.
Many are still reeling from evacuations due to Hurricane Helene just two weeks ago, which claimed at least 230 lives and washed away thousands of homes.
‘I’m getting out fast this time. But when I return, I just know there’ll be nothing to come back to,’ Joe Barness, who had to be rescued from his waterfront house by a sheriff’s department air boat during Hurricane Helene, told DailyMail.com.
‘Helene was a warning to get out. The storm surge was devastating. But this, the flooding, is going to be worse beyond anyone’s imagination.
‘The winds are going to push that salt water like never before. Every house in this neighborhood is doomed.’
Damaged homes and debris littered street of Tampa, Florida neighborhood Dana Shores, October 8. There are fears of yet more destruction once Hurricane Milton hits
Some Dana Shores householders had warnings against against looting in the wake of Helene. ‘Our guns are dry, dry, dry’ remains painted in large letters on the garage door of one place
Floridians who have been told to evacuate ahead of the impact of Hurricane Milton have revealed their fears they will have nothing to return to. Pictured: Tampa resident Wally Sawyer outside his garage
Part-time realtor Barness, 65, was hurriedly collecting belongings before evacuating his $800,000 single story home in the normally idyllic Dana Shores area, which butts directly on to the north side of Tampa Bay. It is dotted with small canals where homeowners can park boats out back.
Sawyer was sandbagging the structure ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Milton, which is expected to bring more severe flooding
Street after street in the established neighborhood, with a mix of older modest homes and modern gentrified two story houses, already bears horrifying witness to the power of a hurricane.
Nearly every home was flooded by storm surge that reached 9ft at its maximum with Helene.
Piles of furniture, carpets, beloved photos, tables, beds – the contents of people’s lives – are still stacked high outside dozens of properties.
Some Dana Shores householders had warnings against against looting in the wake of Helene.
‘Our guns are dry, dry, dry’ remains painted in large letters on the garage door of one place.
A few doors down an automated video system speaks the words, ‘Hi, you are currently being recorded’ if anyone walks by on the street.
Many stayed through Helene. Now they’re all fleeing en masse as Milton continues to approach the west coast of Florida with unprecedented intensity and a worst case storm water surge of a terrifying 15ft.
Damaged homes and debris littered street of Tampa, Florida neighborhood Dana Shores
Barness’s dire prophesy came as an almost unreal atmosphere descended on Tampa Tuesday.
As millions headed north to flee Milton’s path, traffic in the bay area, home to 2.5million people, was noticeably quieter.
The whole area feels like it’s waiting for an apocalypse. Local TV weather expert Denis Phillips, considered the guru of hurricane coverage, has said: ‘This is a beast.’
Dana Shore resident Joe Barness told DailyMail.com he feels like he is ‘doomed’ as he prepared to evacuate for the second time in a matter of weeks after he was forced to flee Hurricane Helene
Gas is like gold. Many stations have tape across their entrances to make it plain that they’re out.
When a gas station does have supplies, huge lines form as desperate drivers swarm to fill-up
Such is the value of gas – as a means of a last minute escape or survival for what is to come – that DailyMail.com witnessed a tanker truck being escorted front and back by black police SUVs.
In the quiet street where Barness lives with 50-year-old girlfriend Vilma Wolfe, more than 40 U-Haul or similar trucks crammed the roadway yesterday as people accepted their dreams of living there might be over for good.
‘There were 20ft vehicles and folk were just piling what they had salvaged from Helene into them,’ Barness added. ‘They were getting out with all their belongings – and they’re not coming back.
A boarded up and damaged home on Davis Island in Tampa, Florida following Hurricane Helene
Dana Shore local Pauline Cuesta, 92, left her home of 53 years and fears it might be the last time she ever sees it
Retired NASA engineering deputy director Wally Sawyer attempted to protect his garage with plastic sheeting
‘They will have no reason to come back. What are they going to come back to? A 15ft storm surge will wipe this place out.
‘I’m thinking to tear down my home and try to rebuild. I only bought it three years ago and put everything I had into it.
‘This is the real deal. There’s a direct cone coming straight for us and it’s not changing course. I’ll say it again, we’re doomed with this one. I truly believe that.
‘People have boarded up but what good will that do? This place is going to be a ghost town.’
Car enthusiast Barness lost vehicles in Helene’s flooding, including a salmon pink 1959 Chevrolet Biscayne station wagon he had just bought for $30,000.
Down the same street, 92-old Pauline Cuesta clutched her tiny dog and spoke to DailyMail.com moments before fleeing her house of 53 years – realizing it might be the last time she calls it home.
All her furniture and most of her household items were destroyed in the storm surge from Helene. Now she’s taking her essentials with her; crucial documents, jewelry, sentimental items.
‘We stayed through Helene and the water just rushed in at a shocking rate. We just didn’t expect that. There was nothing we could do. It was a foot high and ruined everything.
Her son, Indy Cuesta, warned that if the forecast is as bad as expected, his mom’s entire home could end up underwater
‘But now this is going to be much worse. We’re just taking all the stuff we need to live if we lose the house for good. The stuff of our lives.’
Son Indy, 55, who was helping her move, predicted: ‘If this surge is 15ft, this whole house could be entirely under water. My father built it. We did pretty much everything here all our lives.
‘This is a beautiful area, like a forgotten neighborhood, a simple treasure that many people could afford among all the other more expensive areas nearby.
‘But now, who knows. It is what it is. It’s in God’s hands.’
Hurricanes are no respecters of wealth. In exclusive Davis Island, a small bridge away from downtown Tampa, the locals are leaving.
Here, mansions costing $20million plus face the same terrifying prospect of destruction through surging salt water and battering winds.
Retired NASA engineering deputy director Wally Sawyer cut a lone figure as he did his best to cover the base of his garage with plastic sheeting and pin it in place with sandbags.
‘I’ve no idea if this will do any good, but you have to try,’ the 82-year-old told DailyMail.com.
Water damage from Hurricane Helene seen at Pauline Cuesta’s home before the arrival of Hurricane Milton
Almost every home was flooded by storm surge up to 9 feet high during Helene
‘We were away for Helene but the surge brought 3ft of water. We’ll be looking at eight or nine if the predictions are correct with Milton.
‘We’re lucky that the living area of the house is eleven and a half feet above ground. But there are so many single story homes round here. And those will be under water if the worst happens.
‘We love this neighborhood. My heart goes out to those whose homes will be devastated. They’ll be under water.
‘I don’t believe anyone around here is staying. The kind of storm surge they’re talking about with these winds is not survivable.
‘We never knew anything like Helene. What’s about to happen, well, it’s unthinkable.’
