With the entire state awaiting the arrival of Hurricane Milton, the anticipation has sent anxiety levels soaring. For days, as the monster storm seemed to inch toward the state, Floridians have been hearing phrases like “strongest hurricane ever” and “rapid intensification,” along with adjectives like catastrophic, life-threatening, and destructive. Those words are compounded by residents’ memories of hurricanes in recent Florida history and footage of towns swamped in North Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia by the recent Hurricane Helene.
“With climate-driven extremes putting us in a place that we haven’t been before, it’s very difficult to stay cool, calm, and collected,” Miami meteorologist John Morales told Mother Jones on Monday after getting choked up on air while giving an update on the intensity of the Category 5 hurricane. Popular TikTok influencer Alexis Amber posted a video explaining that while she lives in Florida and physically is safe, her mental health is suffering. “When I am seeing words again like rapid intensification and catastrophic and mind boggling .
.. I am trying not to drive myself crazy,” she said, exhaling a sigh.
“It’s the anticipation of where it’s going to go, how much are we going to be impacted and all the unknown that makes me anxious,” said Valerie Kedem who lives in an oceanfront condo in Vero Beach and relocated inland a few miles to ride out the hurricane. Kedem said she has lived in Florida 45 years and has ex.