Vietnamese people in Florida prepare for ‘worst case scenario’ before superstorm Milton

“Since coming to the US to settle in 2016, my family has never thought we would face a dangerous natural disaster like Hurricane Milton about to land in Florida. We can only pray that when this storm passes If you go, your relatives, friends, and neighbors will still have everything,” Tuan Dang, 38 years old, living in Tampa, Florida, shared with VnExpress.

Hurricane Milton increased in strength at a breakneck speed over the weekend, reaching category 5, the highest level in the US, within 24 hours of forming in the Gulf of Mexico on October 6 and becoming the strongest storm on the planet. this year. On the morning of October 9, storm Milton was downgraded to a level, with winds of 250 km/h, expected to land in the Tampa Bay area, Florida on the evening of the same day (morning of October 10, Hanoi time).

The US National Weather Service (NWS) warned that Milton had the potential to become “the worst storm to hit Tampa Bay directly in more than 100 years”. Florida authorities and federal agencies issued an evacuation alert for 11 Florida counties with about 5.9 million people living, according to AP.

However, evacuating at this time is not an easy choice for many people in Florida, including the Vietnamese community. The 2020 US demographic survey shows that more than 83,000 people of Vietnamese origin are living in this state, concentrated mainly in the three cities of Orlando, Miami and Tampa.

“My family has 6 members, three of whom are elderly. From Tampa to the neighboring states of Florida right now it takes more than 10 hours to drive. If traveling long distances, encountering congestion or not enough gas , then being stranded in the middle of the road when the storm hits is even more dangerous,” Mr. Tuan stated the reason his family decided to stay and not evacuate as recommended by officials.

Highways in Florida throughout the day of October 7 and the morning of October 8 witnessed serious congestion due to the continuous flow of evacuation vehicles, while hotels and motels were overloaded in neighboring safe areas. near Tampa.

According to US petroleum market tracking company GasBuddy, about 17% of nearly 8,000 gas stations in Florida ran out of fuel reserves by the end of October 8, leaving many evacuated vehicles unable to refuel.

Xuan H., who lives in Tampa and works as a nurse at a local hospital, also has the same concerns as Tuan Dang.

“My family also has a 5-year-old child, so evacuating Tampa is very difficult. Many gas stations at this time only allow full tanks. If we encounter congestion and have to turn off the highway many times to take care of for the baby, my husband and I are worried about not having enough gas for the rest of the trip,” Xuan said, adding that this year’s storm season is very different from the 7 years she has lived in Florida.

The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said that Milton could make landfall in the sparsely populated area south of Tampa Bay on the night of October 9, but rain, wind and storm circulation could affect the entire area and wider area. again. NHC also admitted that it is difficult to accurately predict the landfall point of storm Milton and noted that all forecasts about the storm’s path will have an error of about 96 km.

“I really don’t know how far to run to avoid the storm. Hotels in other areas such as Jacksonville or Orlando are all out of rooms, and there is also information that these cities are also in danger,” Xuan said. .

The unpredictable factors of Hurricane Milton made her family decide to stay in Tampa, partly because the house is located in “zone E”, a high land area away from the coast and considered a place to shelter. when the storm comes.

The government also announced a detailed list of shelter locations in case of emergency, such as schools, community centers and churches, which are built more solidly. The nearest shelter is about 5 km from Xuan’s house.

Xuan said the government and volunteers have also gone to each house to distribute food and necessities to people in recent days. Her family proactively stored clean water and instant noodles, and stored important documents in a high place to prevent flooding.

Xuan and her husband plan to park one car at the local gathering point, keep one at home for work or run to a shelter if the situation is dangerous. She hopes that travel in the coming days will not encounter too much disruption, as local buses and technology companies will help transport passengers to shelters for free.

Despite worrying about their own safety, the Vietnamese community in Florida still finds ways to help each other in groups to prepare for storms.

In recent days, Mr. Tuan has continuously shared information on community pages about the evacuation bus route and announced his readiness to help elderly people in need of assistance.

“I’m also afraid that my house will be damaged or flooded, so I try my best to prepare for the worst case scenario. But I think that in addition to taking care of ourselves and our families, we also need to take care of the people around us. Neighbors Neighbors must rely on each other in these times,” he said.

Xuan felt warmed when reading many posts from Vietnamese people in neighboring cities and states, inviting people who had to evacuate from Florida to stay for free until the storm passed.

When Hurricane Helene swept through Florida and the southeastern states of the United States less than two weeks ago, Xuan was saddened to hear that many people of Vietnamese descent lost all their property and homes due to natural disasters. Many people have not yet completed insurance procedures and now have to evacuate once again.

Xuan’s colleagues at the hospital fear that Storm Milton this time will have even more terrible consequences, when the storm’s strength at the time of landfall is expected to reach level 3, one level stronger than Helene. The hospital has mobilized staff who do not have children, or have homes in safe areas and are fully prepared for their families, to support the volunteer team.

Driving home after the night shift ending at 8:00 a.m. on October 9, Xuan planned to return to the hospital in the evening, ready with his colleagues to respond on the night the storm hit.