Despite the danger and expected destruction, Wisconsinites among those riding out Hurricane Milton on the Gulf Coast

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Despite the danger, and orders to evacuate, many people in Hurricane Milton's path are staying in their homes to ride it out.

Wisconsinites living in Florida are among them.

We spoke with two men who moved from Wisconsin to the Gulf Coast a few years ago.

One is far enough inland to not be in an evacuation zone, but the other is closer to the coast and is in an evacuation zone.

Both say their homes can handle what's coming.

Marshall Chay told us it's "Very windy, it's starting to get really bad."

Chay's Fort Myers home is in an evacuation zone, but he did not leave when he had the chance.

He and his wife live about eight miles from the gulf and feel they're far enough away to withstand the surge of floodwater Hurricane Milton will dump on the Gulf Coast.

Chay said, "Even though there'll be a big surge later tonight, I have a two-story home. And so I made the decision to stay here on the second floor with my wife and couple friends."

For days, Tampa-area highways were jammed with people heeding the warnings.

This week Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said, "If you choose to stay in one of those evacuation areas, you're going to die."

But hours before Milton made landfall, the message changed: it was now too late to leave; instead, hunker down and try to survive.

Chay said, "I made sure to fill up all the gasoline cans for my two generators that I have here. We've got plenty of water and food."

He estimated about 95% of his neighbors left the area. "Only weirdos like myself are still around."

The wind and rain will be dangerous, but the storm surge of floodwater could be deadly.

Six inches of water can sweep a person off their feet, twelve inches can lift a car.

Three feet of water can wash that car off a roadway, and six feet can damage a building's infrastructure, like the foundation and framing.

But some areas near the Tampa coast are expected to get 13 feet of floodwater.

Tom Cheng lives 15 miles inland in Lakewood Ranch.

He told us, "Hopefully they'll all be evacuated."

Cheng is not in an evacuation zone, but his neighborhood is prepared to help those that are. "There's a couple schools back here, behind their house that are evacuation shelters," he said.

Cheng's home suffered minimal damage from Hurricane Ian in 2022 and Hurricane Helene two weeks ago, so he's also staying put for Hurricane Milton.

He's strategically opened vents and windows to ease the air pressure on his roof, and his hurricane windows can withstand projectiles at 150 mph.

He's confident, but he's thinking about those closer to the coast. "Their life is more important than the material things that you have."

Cheng said he thinks Hurricane Helene will actually help save lives during Hurricane Milton.

He said people saw the potential for death and destruction just two weeks ago, and he's hoping they evacuated to avoid that possibility with this storm.