Tens of thousands of Bay Area residents evacuate before Hurricane Milton: 'I'm scared'

Many heeding evacuation warnings

Evyn Moon reports

TAMPA, Fla. - Many in the Tampa Bay area are packing up, gassing up and getting out of the area as a dangerous Category 5 hurricane barrels towards Florida's west coast.

FOX 13 spoke with people evacuating at a rest stop in Manatee County:

"I’m trying not to show that I’m scared, but yes I’m scared," said one mom traveling with her daughter.

Hurricane Milton: Mandatory evacuations begin in Tampa Bay Area

"Everyone is leaving the area… it’s sad, it really is sad," said another evacuee leaving with her husband.

As people heed widespread evacuation warnings, interstates are seeing major slowdowns, and at some points, traffic at a dead stop. To help, FDOT is allowing use of the emergency shoulder lanes in some parts of the state.

Governor Ron DeSantis has also suspended interstate toll fees surrounding the Tampa and Orlando metro areas, encouraging people to leave.

Folks from near Naples heading north said they were sitting on I-75 for hours.

READ: What is a Category 5 hurricane?

"We started about noon, so that’s a long time to get to Tampa," one man said around 7 p.m.

"It was really hard to leave… I took the most important paperwork, some pillows, a blanket, and we're off," said another.

Gas stations also continue to see impacts, with lines to pump up going down streets, and many pumps already closed.

The Skyway Bridge shuts down with winds sustaining 45 mph, and other Bay Area bridges close when conditions become hazardous, so officials urge residents to leave while they still can.

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