Desperate Brit caught up in Florida's hurricane describes 'manic' scenes as hotel told her you're on your own
The TikToker shared the scary situation that she has been left in, with Hurricane Milton heading her way
A Brit who has been caught in the brunt of Florida's brutal Hurricane Milton has shared her experience in the Sunshine State during the lead up to tomorrow's expected landfall.
The content creator known as @scouseblu on TikTok shared exactly what she's been going through as the terrifying storm heads their way, and how she has prepared.
Real name Kathryn Bateman, the Brit explained on social media that she was desperately trying to stock up on essentials at supermarkets before Hurricane Milton's 155mph winds hit the shore.
The Foreign Office has warned UK citizens across the pond to follow instruction and orders surrounding evacuation, as Milton has been described as 'life-threatening,' with high winds and heavy rainfall forecast.
Airports in Tampa and Orlando have also temporarily ceased operations to and from the UK, as holidaymakers stuck in the US have been told to contact airlines for more information.
Bateman is one of those stranded in the midst of the hurricane, which is set to be the state's worst in over 100 years.
Yesterday, she posted a clip on TikTok, revealing empty shelves as she visited stores with her partner, explaining that they visited a store 10 minutes before its usual opening time, only to find that there was no water left. She compared it to when the Covid pandemic hit.
In a video she posted today (8 October), she finally found water at Target, saying: "The shelves were a little bit empty... a lot of people are stocking up on water."
Describing Home Depot as 'absolutely manic', they looked for other essentials before leaving as the store shut early.
People were also buying wood in bulk, presumably to board their windows up and protect their homes.
There were only a few torches left, with the couple managing to snag one of them, as other travellers told her that their hotels were giving out free water and toilet paper in preparation for Milton, though Bateman's was not.
She summarised the letter sent to her from the hotel, saying: "The hotel basically said keep the patio furniture inside, you're self-catering, you're on you're own."
Bateman called the protocol 'shocking'.
Florida's west coast is expected to get the worst of the hurricane, though the TikToker said that even though they were inland, there was a chance that the hurricane could be considered category five on the Saffir–Simpson scale, the most severe level.
She also said that she had heard that Tampa Bay was going to be hit badly, which was already highlighted by Mayor Jane Castor in a news conference on Monday.
"This is the real deal here with Milton," she began.
"If you want to take on Mother Nature, she wins 100 percent of the time," Castor claimed, chillingly telling residents that if they don't evacuate, 'you are going to die'.
The National Weather Service in Tampa claimed that it 'will be the worst storm to impact the Tampa area in over 100 years'.
What's Your Reaction?
