Hurricane Milton evacuees seek shelter in Tuscaloosa

TUSCALOOSA, Ala ( WIAT ) – Hurricane Milton evacuees are looking to Tuscaloosa for a place to wait out the storm. However, rooms are limited.

“It’s really hard to get a room in Tuscaloosa during game weekends,” SureStay Hotel Manager Huey Harris said.

The University of Alabama is scheduled to kick off against South Carolina on Saturday, and it’s Parents Weekend at UA.

“We were a bit concerned,” Hurricane Evacuee Jillian Rae said.

Rae, her husband and her daughter were planning to visit Tuscaloosa on Friday, however Hurricane Milton significantly pushed up their leave date.

Monday morning, Rae’s family loaded up their car and started their drive from Tampa to Tuscaloosa.

“The most important aspect of an evacuation is to have gas,” Rae said.

Rae’s family stayed the night in Dothan, Ala. before arriving in Tuscaloosa on Tuesday. The first leg of the trip took more than nine hours – it typically takes five.

The distance from Tampa to Dothan ranges from 350 mi. – 375 mi. That range could vary depending on where in Dothan they stopped, and where in Tampa they left.

However, that’s nearly 400 miles on the road, and at some point, a driver would need to fill their tank.

“There was no gas throughout all of Florida,” Rae said.

Besides the lack of gas and the driving time doubled – it was “just like a normal car ride, but with a more sinister kind of ending to it,” Rae’s daughter Magnolia Le said.

Milton came through Florida on Wednesday, causing widespread power outages. While damages have not been as severe as expected, Rae wants to be safe – not sorry.

“We take every warning seriously,” Rae said. “Storms are not something that we really want to try and test our endurance of.”

Some Floridians chose not to evacuate. Rae said everyone’s situation is different. Some families have hurricane proof homes, don’t live in high flood zones, or just don’t want to leave.

“There is a different resilience and certain culture with Floridians,” Rae said. “The people who chose to stay may stay there for a variety of reasons we may never understand.”

Some people stay to help with search and rescue efforts if it is needed. Some stay for family or friends. Some stay because they don’t have the resources to leave their home even if they wanted to Rae said.

“I have an adult son who chose to stay with his girlfriend,” Rae said. “We have many friends and family that we love dearly that chose to stay, so it’s something that I’m having to come to terms with.”

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