'If you stay here...you will die': the stark warning given to Florida residents ahead of Milton

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, speaking on CNN was blunt about the city's situation and the consequences of ignoring the mandatory evacuation order in anticipation of Hurricane Milton's imminent arrival: "I can say without any dramatisation whatsoever: If you choose to stay in one of those evacuation areas, you're going to die."

Prior to Milton's arrival Castor spoke with CNN's Kaitlan Collins, adding, “The No. 1 message, as it has been for several days now, is that you need to prepare. Do whatever you need to do, and then get out.”

And she has not been the only one to send a similar message. William Tokajer, Chief of Police of Holmes Beach (Manatee, Florida), has also opted for the harsh, realistic and direct way to warn those who stay.

"If you don't take heed, you're on your own. You might as well take a Sharpie and write your name and social security number on your leg so when we find you we have a contact," he told CNN as he drove through the streets of Anna Maria, an island devastated by Hurricane Helene just two weeks ago.

And if people who remain in evacuated areas are swept away by the hurricane, the name and social security number will help the police "So when we find you we have a contact," Tokajer added.

It is worth remembering that 5.5 million people have been forced to leave several counties in Florida, for the sake of their own survival.

In fact, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), this was one of the largest evacuations in Florida's history.

Despite the mandatory evacuation order, there are those who have chosen to rebel and stay in their homes. The authorities remind them that they are staying at their own risk and that, if something happens to them, there will be those who risk their lives to save them or, in the worst case, recover their bodies.

Forecasts predict dangerous sea level rises, winds of up to 300 km/h and a devastating capacity that will make it very difficult to survive Milton's passage.

Millions of residents in 30 counties, including Orlando, Tampa and Fort Myers, have been forced to move with minimal supplies to shelters, schools and protected facilities that have been set up to accommodate so many people.