ANNA MARIA, Fla. — With Hurricane Milton on the horizon, a local police chief on Anna Maria Island warns death could be imminent for anyone refusing evacuation orders.
“If you're, for lack of a better word, dumb enough to think that you can ride it out, write your name and your next-of-kin phone number on your arm or something with a Sharpie, so that when we come retrieve you the next day, we know who to call,” Holmes Beach Police Chief William Tokajer said.
Anna Maria Island in Manatee County could receive 11 to 15 feet of storm surge under current projections, enough to destroy homes and take lives.
“If we get hit like we got hit with Helene, we’ll have double the surge, which means the water will be taller than me, and I’m 6’1,” Tokajer said .
Marianne Detullio, who’s lived on the island for more than 15 years, was one of the only people still around on Monday. She was waiting for her husband to finish storm preps on their two homes before heading out.
“On this one, we are getting out of here. I'm taking my little girl here for her last walk and saying goodbye to some of her little friends, maybe if they're still there,” she said of her pet dog Ayla.
On Tuesday, the island was mostly bare. Instead of cars lining the streets, there were piles of debris from Hurricane Helene, which caused widespread destruction less than two weeks ago.
“We’ve got trucks and grapplers out here picking up debris now so that it’s not a projectile for Milton. But we’re not going to be able to get to all of it,” Tokajer said.
Chief Tokajer also warned that there will be no law enforcement or rescue crews on the island at the height of the storm. Anyone choosing to stay does so at their own risk.
“There will be no fire, there will be no EMS, there will be no police,” he said. “Once we leave the island, you're on your own."
Emerald Morrow is an investigative reporter with 10 Tampa Bay on assignment for Hurricane Milton. Like her on Facebook and follow her on X. You can also email her at emorrow@10tampabay.com.