Why Tampa Bay Hispanics turned to Facebook, WhatsApp during Milton

Isaret Jeffers doesn’t have millions of followers. But she has enough to feel like she’s doing something valuable.

Hours before Hurricane Milton hit Florida, Jeffers, a community activist who works with the Hispanic population and farmworkers in Plant City, rushed to post in Spanish on her Facebook account that there was still time to evacuate.

“Hillsborough County: Get out of mobile homes and trailers! Your zone doesn’t matter! Please, there are still families with children who haven’t evacuated!”

In the most critical hours, when official warnings in English and Spanish were shared through traditional channels like text messages, press releases and media —...