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.
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.
