Saint Lucians In Florida Flee Hurricane Milton

Hundreds of Saint Lucians were among millions evacuating parts of the state of Florida on Tuesday, pending the arrival of hurricane Milton Wednesday evening. Thirteen Florida counties, including Tampa and Orlando, are under mandatory evacuation before Milton’s arrival, while seven others are under voluntary evacuation. United States officials have warned about the potentially life-threatening impacts of the hurricane. One Saint Lucian family that St. Lucia Times spoke with Wednesday said they had endured an over five-hour drive from Tampa to Georgia on Tuesday and were hoping for the best. We also reached out to Darrel Montrose, Saint Lucia’s Consul General in Miami, whose Coral Gables office in Florida remained closed Wednesday. “We do have a sizeable Saint Lucian population in Tampa and Orlando, the areas expected to feel the full wrath of the hurricane. Further south we are expected to get lots of rain, even if we may not have the full force of the wind,” Montrope said. “So we have asked everyone to take the necessary precautions and to obey the mandatory evacuation calls if you are in any of the areas that will be in the direct path of Milton,” he added. Montrope described Florida as a flat...