© 2024 WFSU Public Media
WFSU News · Tallahassee · Panama City · Thomasville
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Hurricane Milton evacuees are taking refuge in Walmart parking lots

Shoppers walk through an empty parking lot of a Walmart in the Panorama City section of Los Angeles on Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2020. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)
Richard Vogel/AP
/
AP
Shoppers walk through an empty parking lot of a Walmart in the Panorama City section of Los Angeles on Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2020. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

RVs, camping trailers, and tents are staged throughout the Fallschase Village Center in Tallahassee.

Dozens of Hurricane Milton evacuees are camping out in the parking lot of the Walmart off Mahan Drive in Tallahassee.

The families have traveled, mostly from Tampa, to the Capital City to escape what forecasters believe will be one of the strongest storms to hit Southwest Florida in decades.

Bill Short and his wife Elizabeth, live in Tampa. They evacuated on Monday with their two young kids and family dog.

“This is our third [evacuation] as a family with children. We had Irma, then Ian, and now this one," Bill told WFSU.

Bill said the trip to Tallahassee, which normally takes about four hours, took six hours this time because of the traffic on US Highway 19 and Interstate 10.

In this image taken with a drone, the Tampa, Fla., skyline, top left, is seen at a distance as traffic flows eastbound, left lanes, along Interstate 4 as residents continue to follow evacuation orders ahead of Hurricane Milton, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Julio Cortez/AP
/
AP
In this image taken with a drone, the Tampa, Fla., skyline, top left, is seen at a distance as traffic flows eastbound, left lanes, along Interstate 4 as residents continue to follow evacuation orders ahead of Hurricane Milton, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Bill is worried about the damage Milton could cause, but for now he says he's trying not to focus on it.

“For the kids' sake, we try to make it normal as a lifestyle as possible," Bill said. "We travel a fair amount in our motorhome anyway, so they are used to the travel. Staying in a Walmart or Bass Pro Shops parking lot is not out of the ordinary for them."

Governor Ron DeSantis announced on Tuesday that he’s working with Walmart U.S. CEO John Furner to help provide space for evacuees.

Furner said the retailer plans to provide charging stations for storm victims needing to charge their devices.

"Our parking lots have become a place of hope for a lot of people," Furner told Fox News' Bret Baier on "Special Report."

Walmart is also working to secure laundry facilities, and showers to place in areas where evacuees are staying.

Adrian Andrews is a multimedia journalist with WFSU Public Media. He is a Gadsden County native and a first-generation college graduate from Florida A&M University. Adrian is also a military veteran, ending his career as a Florida Army National Guard Non-Comissioned Officer.

Adrian has experience in print writing, digital content creation, documentary, and film production. He has spent the last four years on the staff of several award-winning publications such as The Famuan, Gadsden County News Corp, and Cumulus Media before joining the WFSU news team.