Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) says he is worried residents of his state are not taking Hurricane Michael seriously even as it made landfall Wednesday afternoon as a Category 4 storm.
“I am scared to death for people that chose not to evacuate,” Scott told The Weather Channel on Wednesday. “I worry about them every second, and I hope there’re no children there who didn’t have the choice on their own to make these decisions.”
{mosads}Scott mentioned about 50 people who told officials they would ride out the storm on an island in Franklin County.
“I’m just praying for them and, as soon as this passes, we will be out there doing everything we can to rescue everybody,” he added. “We will take care of each other.”
Scott warned that residents in coastal areas need to consider the powerful storm surge that will come ashore with a hurricane of this size.
“[T]he thing I think people don’t realize is the storm surge. Whether it’s 6 feet or 14 feet, it’s all deadly. And I’m very concerned that people are not taking that into consideration,” he said.
Hurricane Michael made landfall Wednesday afternoon near Panama City Beach, Fla., as a high-strength Category 4 storm bordering on a Category 5, the highest level, according to the National Hurricane Center.
President Trump said Wednesday that he plans to visit areas affected by the storm on Sunday or Monday to view the damage and recovery efforts.
“We want to get down there as soon as possible,” Trump said Wednesday. “At the same time, I don’t want to go down where we’re interfering with the people — the first responders, the FEMA people.”