A woman dubbed the "world's worst influencer" has refused to leave her home despite warnings of death regarding Hurricane Milton.
Hurricane Milton made landfall on Florida’s west coast Wednesday evening, bringing with it powerful winds of 120 mph and triggering multiple tornadoes that ravaged parts of the state.
The Category 3 storm struck near Siesta Key in Sarasota County at 8:30PM, per Sky News.
As Milton moved inland, its winds weakened to 90 mph overnight, downgrading it to a Category 1 storm.
Despite the storm being downgraded, it still poses a very real threat to life with storm surges and debris expected to ravage the area.
With this, many people opted to evacuate their homes and seek refuge as the storm swept over the state.
However, some decided to stay behind, such as Caroline Calloway.
Known for her controversial online presence, she took to social media on October 8 to share her plan to stay in Sarasota, even as millions of Florida residents flee the state under the advice of authorities.
Calloway, who has garnered attention in the past for being dubbed the "world’s worst influencer" and a "scammer," explained her reasons for staying behind, citing a negative past experience with hurricane evacuation, per the New York Post.
In a video posted to her Instagram Story, Calloway said: "So if you’ve been following Hurricane Milton, um, I’m going to die. It’s supposed to make landfall in the Sarasota-Bradenton area. I’m in Sarasota, I live on the water. It’s a zone A, mandatory evacuation."
Calloway, who admitted she doesn’t drive, also pointed to the closure of airports as another reason for her decision not to evacuate.
Reflecting on her experience with Hurricane Ian, she added: “The last time I evacuated for a hurricane, I went to my mom’s house in Northport… Her whole street flooded, and we were evacuated after three days without power or running water by the US military. It was very traumatic.”
Despite her concerns, Calloway told her followers she had stocked up on food and water but acknowledged the gravity of the situation, saying it was “kind of scary.”
Officials have repeatedly stressed the dangers of staying in the path of the storm, with Tampa Mayor Jane Castor issuing a stark warning to residents.
"If you are in a single-story home that is hit by a 15ft storm surge, which means that water comes in immediately, there’s nowhere to go. So if you’re in it, basically that’s the coffin that you’re in," Castor said.
