A woman in Tampa Bay, Florida has reluctantly camped out in her apartment’s hallway as the strong winds and constant rainfall from Hurricane Milton have seeped through her windows.
Living on the 11th floor of a high-rise building, Morgan Roos has decided not to evacuate her area despite urgent alerts. She has since posted regular updates on TikTok to inform viewers of her experience.
Highlights
- Morgan Roos camps in her hallway as Hurricane Milton seeps into her high-rise.
- Roos shares the 11-part TikTok saga of hurricane's impact, amassing 65M views.
- Roos regrets staying put, uncertain of her safety as winds reach 100 mph.
Her videos have garnered over 65 million views, and many people on the social media platform are now worried for her safety.
A Florida resident has stayed behind to document Hurricane Milton, and her most recent update showed her camping out in her hallway
Image credits: morganroos96
On Wednesday, October 9 at 9am, Roos posted her first video in what is now an ongoing 11-part saga. She showed that her apartment has a clear view of the rest of the city as well as the Hillsborough River.
As the videos progressed later into the night, viewers saw the winds getting stronger, bending the palm trees and moving the rain right outside her window.
Clouds also hovered just above the horizon, looming over Tampa Bay and blocking out the sunlight.
“Milton has fully pulled the f–k up,” Roos said in a clip taken at 5:45pm on the same day. She guessed the winds were picking up to about 60 mph but knew it would only get worse as the hours went by.
At around 8pm, the TikTok creator posted another video, showing that the power had gone out over “chunks of the city,” enveloping the area in darkness. As she was talking, multiple blue flashes streaked across the sky—later identified as “transformers.” These indicated which parts of the city had lost electricity.
Image credits: morganroos96
Roos’s last update was posted on Thursday, October 10, at 12:47am. Winds of about 100 mph were causing her windows to “fail,” as her floor took on water due to the position of her outside balcony.
She said she was hearing “really weird creaking noises in every part of the house but especially by the back windows.”
While the electricity was still on, Roos feared the windowpane would shatter and decided to sleep in the hallway.
“It’s not ideal but it’s better than having my windows sucked in or glass being blown at me,” she said in the video.
Roos’s 11-part series has attracted a lot of attention, and viewers are invested in how she is dealing with the situation
Image credits: morganroos96
Many people were worried after Roos posted her first video, questioning whether her decision to stay behind was a good idea.
“You would not catch me in a high rise building where gusts are up to 200+ mph,” someone said. “I’d be worried about the structure holding against that and the water. I hope you stay safe!!”
Another comment echoed something similar: “K I get that you’re high up and the water won’t get to you. but the floors way down below would.. and that’s what’s holding you up.. what am I not getting lol.”
“I imagine you stocked up on food & water in case you can’t get out right away & filled your tub w/ water for the toilet if needed,” said a user. “Good luck & sending prayers to you & everyone in Milton’s path.”
Image credits: morganroos96
Commenters also expressed their concern when they noticed that it’d been almost 12 hours since Roos' last post.
Someone wrote, “The amount of times I’ve come back to check. Are you OK? I’m hoping just no battery or Internet signal.”
“I’m so worried about you. Please update us soon. You were the first person I checked on when I woke up,” said another.
Roos revealed that she regretted staying behind, feeling unsure of her safety
Image credits: morganroos96
In an interview with NewsNation yesterday afternoon, the Tampa resident said she was having second thoughts about her choice to stay.
“I am directly on the riverfront,” she told the outlet. “I am standing in front of my windows right now, and I would say, maybe 200 feet away is the Hillsborough River. I was here during Helene.
“I decided to wait that one out, and I watched the water rise, but it only came up on the Riverwalk. And now I am not feeling so confident in my decision.”
She added, “I think I really really really underestimated this. But I have four cases of water. My neighbors told me they have a bunch of flashlights. I have food, I’ve got a propane tank. I did everything that the internet told me to do.”
Roos’s main reason for staying rather than looking for a shelter boiled down to her “sense of community” and her loved ones.
“I’ve got two dogs with me; got my mom here,” she explained. “The only sense of community I have here in Florida are people who live in my building, and they’re all hunkering together. So we’re going to pull resources and go that way.”
Hurricane Milton continues to ravage the state of Florida
Image credits: morganroos96
As reported by the Independent, at least nine people have died as a result of the storm, which is currently labeled as a Category 3, since it made landfall on Wednesday night. The hurricane has additionally brought in multiple tornadoes, 28-ft waves, strong winds, heavy rainfall, and a devastating storm surge.
More than 3 million homes and businesses throughout Florida were left without power, with most of the damage concentrated in the west-central region.
Countless residents were urged to evacuate, while Bradenton Police Chief Melanie Bevan delivered an ominous message to those who decided to stay.
“What we’ll probably be finding in the morning are bodies,” she said on BBC Radio 4’s Today program on Thursday morning.
While Hurricane Milton has now weakened to a Category 1, residents are still battling against its brutal aftermath and relentless high winds.
People on TikTok flooded Roos's comments with advice and expressed concern
