‘I’m going to die’: Florida influencer explains why she won’t evacuate ahead of Milton
Love her or hate her, but Caroline Calloway is in a very dangerous situation.
The controversial influencer claims she isn’t leaving her Sarasota home as Hurricane Milton churns toward the west coast of Florida as a devastating Cat. 4.
On Instagram Stories Tuesday, the 32 year old showed her 667K followers her “writer’s retreat” that is in a mandatory evacuation zone by the water. That’s the absolute worst place to be when a weather event of this magnitude hits. Storm surge, life threatening walls of water, of up to 15 feet is expected.
“So if you’ve been following Hurricane Milton,” Calloway says, laughing nervously. “I’m going to die.”
The Virginia native, whose great grandfather was Sarasota developer Owen Burns who built the Ringling mansion Cà d’Zan, had an explanation. Actually, a few.
“I can’t drive, first of all,” said the erstwhile New Yorker. “Second of all, the airport is closed.”
True: Sarasota Bradenton International, Tampa International and the St. Pete Clearwater airports are all currently shut as Milton is expected to make landfall sometime Wednesday night.
The “Scammer” author, who came under fire a few years back after fleecing fans with fake ”creative workshops, also didn’t opt to ride things out with her mother, who lives in North Port to the south.
That’s because the last time she did so — during Hurricane Ian in September 2022 — it was the “worst time ever.”
“Her whole street flooded and we were evacuated after three days without power or running water by the U.S. military,” Calloway said. “It was very traumatic.”
The current plan? To fill the bathtub with water, hang out with her cat, and hope for the best.
“We have food, but it’s kind of scary,” she admitted. “I’ll keep you guys updated.”
This story was originally published October 9, 2024 at 11:52 AM.
