Incomplete Hurricane Milton Evacuation Alert Panics Some Florida Residents: 'Almost Gave Me a Heart Attack'

Mar. 15, 2025

Bradenton, Fla., ahead of Hurricane Milton.Photo:MIGUEL J. RODRIGUEZ CARRILLO/AFP via Getty

MIGUEL J. RODRIGUEZ CARRILLO/AFP via Getty

Some Florida residents say they were “terrified” and briefly sent into a panic after a county-wide evacuation order was sent with incomplete informationahead of Hurricane Milton.

Early on Wednesday, Oct. 9, a generic evacuation alert for Seminole County, outside of Orlando, went out that simply warned of an “emergency alert” and said the county had ordered people to leave because of Milton.

Minutes later, a clarified alert was sent that stated the evacuation order was only for “mobile homes, flood areas, and persons with special needs.”

But that short window of time still caused confusion among locals — and drew backlash.

“Your first alert terrified this community and you’ve dropped the ball clarifying, sending folks scrambling for accurate info,” one residenttweetedto county officials on X.

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Prep in Orlando, Fla., ahead of Hurricane Milton.Saul Martinez/Getty

Saul Martinez/Getty

Another user echoed that,writing on X, “You almost gave me a heart attack with that first message.”

And on Facebook, someoneposted, “What a crap notification they sent this morning with no details until minutes later.”

A Seminole County spokeswoman said in a response to a request for comment from PEOPLE that “the initial evacuation alert did not have the details on specific populations attached to every device. IPAWS alerts [a federal government system] only allow for 90 characters.”

“The second alert included the specifics on the evacuation alert for mobile homes, flood prones [sic] areas and those with special needs,” the spokeswoman said.

Prep in Fort Myers, Fla., ahead of Hurricane Milton.Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Millions of people have reportedlybeen placed under mandatory or voluntary evacuationas Milton approaches Florida’s western coast. It is expected to make landfall sometime late Wednesday or early Thursday, Oct. 10.

Local, state and national officials have warned of potentially fatal storm conditions from the hurricane, including surge from the ocean and intense winds.

“Drowning deaths due to storm surge are 100% preventable if you leave,” Florida Emergency Management Executive Director Kevin Guthrie said at a news conference earlier this week, ABC News reported.

source: people.com