1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:02,280 Speaker 1: Team past five on news talks, there'd be Florida is 2 00:00:02,320 --> 00:00:05,600 Speaker 1: bracing for quote, the storm of the century, with Hurricane 3 00:00:05,600 --> 00:00:08,799 Speaker 1: Milton now upgraded to a Category five hurricane with wind 4 00:00:08,840 --> 00:00:11,840 Speaker 1: speeds of up to two hundred and seventy kilometers an hour. 5 00:00:12,320 --> 00:00:15,600 Speaker 1: Residents are evacuating by the millions, with officials saying it 6 00:00:15,680 --> 00:00:18,800 Speaker 1: is a matter of life and death. Alison Pietrowski is 7 00:00:18,880 --> 00:00:22,000 Speaker 1: Channel nine's US correspondent who's on the ground in Florida 8 00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:23,640 Speaker 1: and is with us this evening. Thank you for being 9 00:00:23,640 --> 00:00:25,120 Speaker 1: with us. Where are you right now? 10 00:00:25,720 --> 00:00:28,360 Speaker 2: Well, I'm staying in a hotel where a whole lot 11 00:00:28,400 --> 00:00:30,840 Speaker 2: of locals have decided they don't feel safe in their homes, 12 00:00:30,880 --> 00:00:34,559 Speaker 2: so they have come here to seek refuge through this storm. 13 00:00:35,120 --> 00:00:37,879 Speaker 2: I think a lot of them have already witnessed hurricanes 14 00:00:37,920 --> 00:00:41,240 Speaker 2: in the past. This area is so prone to hurricanes 15 00:00:41,240 --> 00:00:44,400 Speaker 2: every single summer. I feel like we're here covering a hurricane. 16 00:00:44,560 --> 00:00:47,160 Speaker 2: So these locals have seen hurricanes before. But I think 17 00:00:47,200 --> 00:00:50,320 Speaker 2: there is a sense of nervousness about this one for 18 00:00:50,400 --> 00:00:53,040 Speaker 2: two reasons. Firstly, it's currently sitting at a category five 19 00:00:53,080 --> 00:00:54,920 Speaker 2: as we talk, which is, you know, the highest it 20 00:00:54,920 --> 00:00:57,000 Speaker 2: can get on the spectrum. I'm seeing lots of people 21 00:00:57,080 --> 00:00:59,680 Speaker 2: kind of joking that this is such a high category five, 22 00:00:59,760 --> 00:01:02,560 Speaker 2: that there was a category six, this would be one. 23 00:01:02,960 --> 00:01:06,440 Speaker 2: And I guess the other real concern is just, you know, 24 00:01:06,600 --> 00:01:10,040 Speaker 2: less than a fortnight ago, roughly ten days ago, Hurricane 25 00:01:10,240 --> 00:01:15,240 Speaker 2: Helene stormed roared through this part of the United States, 26 00:01:15,280 --> 00:01:18,640 Speaker 2: in fact, many parts of the United States, Florida, Georgia, 27 00:01:18,920 --> 00:01:22,080 Speaker 2: and then North Carolina where it caused some catastrophic damage. 28 00:01:22,520 --> 00:01:25,560 Speaker 2: So this hurricane is the second in a space of 29 00:01:25,600 --> 00:01:29,000 Speaker 2: like ten days. And I was out at Treasure Island, 30 00:01:29,680 --> 00:01:32,119 Speaker 2: which is a barrier island outside of Tampa. It's somewhere 31 00:01:32,120 --> 00:01:34,959 Speaker 2: that gets hit by hurricanes all the time, and it 32 00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:38,240 Speaker 2: got hit by Helene. And on either side of the street, 33 00:01:38,280 --> 00:01:40,720 Speaker 2: we just saw piles and piles of debris left over 34 00:01:40,720 --> 00:01:45,360 Speaker 2: from the last hurricane. You know, furniture, broken, bits of tables, 35 00:01:45,520 --> 00:01:49,000 Speaker 2: you know, fridges, barbecues, appliances, all kind of piled up 36 00:01:49,000 --> 00:01:52,520 Speaker 2: in these junk keeps all along the road. Not just 37 00:01:52,600 --> 00:01:54,960 Speaker 2: you know, one street or two street, but like block 38 00:01:55,040 --> 00:01:58,040 Speaker 2: after block, kilometer after kilometer. And I guess the real 39 00:01:58,080 --> 00:02:01,720 Speaker 2: fear is that once these winds get get going, those 40 00:02:02,000 --> 00:02:05,920 Speaker 2: that debris will become flying projectiles, which will meant things. 41 00:02:05,960 --> 00:02:08,799 Speaker 2: You know, it'll give it that extra degree of danger. 42 00:02:08,960 --> 00:02:11,440 Speaker 1: So you were going to be reporting. I can understand 43 00:02:11,440 --> 00:02:14,320 Speaker 1: why you're there, but why are those locals still in 44 00:02:14,360 --> 00:02:16,080 Speaker 1: the city. Why haven't they evacuated. 45 00:02:16,600 --> 00:02:17,920 Speaker 2: Look, I have to say that a lot of them 46 00:02:17,960 --> 00:02:20,160 Speaker 2: have left, more than what I normally see leave this 47 00:02:20,200 --> 00:02:23,000 Speaker 2: region when a hurricane is approaching. I think Floridians where 48 00:02:23,040 --> 00:02:25,280 Speaker 2: it is a badge of honor. Hey, we've seen hurricanes. 49 00:02:25,720 --> 00:02:28,320 Speaker 2: We're still standing. We've been through, so you know, they're 50 00:02:28,360 --> 00:02:30,560 Speaker 2: kind of battle heavy when it comes to a hurricane. 51 00:02:30,680 --> 00:02:33,040 Speaker 2: Today was the quietest I've ever seen a place twenty 52 00:02:33,040 --> 00:02:35,560 Speaker 2: four hours before a hurricane. It was a ghost town 53 00:02:36,000 --> 00:02:38,880 Speaker 2: along those barrier islands there. That being said, though, there 54 00:02:38,880 --> 00:02:41,680 Speaker 2: were some people who decided to stay and ride out 55 00:02:41,720 --> 00:02:44,639 Speaker 2: the storm, and we're confidently doing so. I ran into 56 00:02:44,680 --> 00:02:47,400 Speaker 2: a guy called Jim who was a retired firefighter. His 57 00:02:47,480 --> 00:02:50,360 Speaker 2: wife works for the council and she's been sent to 58 00:02:50,480 --> 00:02:52,200 Speaker 2: work out of their head office for the next twenty 59 00:02:52,200 --> 00:02:54,400 Speaker 2: four hours, banning the nine one one calls that come 60 00:02:54,440 --> 00:02:56,440 Speaker 2: in and he's like, I'm going to be here with 61 00:02:56,480 --> 00:02:59,799 Speaker 2: my dog and I built this house myself. It's withstood 62 00:02:59,800 --> 00:03:02,440 Speaker 2: a hurricane that's come along so far. I've got a 63 00:03:02,480 --> 00:03:04,440 Speaker 2: generator and we're just going to ride this thing out. 64 00:03:04,480 --> 00:03:07,040 Speaker 2: And it was so confident about it. And that is 65 00:03:07,080 --> 00:03:10,000 Speaker 2: a quality that I see in many Floridians. I feel 66 00:03:10,040 --> 00:03:11,880 Speaker 2: like it's something they kind of take. They take a 67 00:03:11,880 --> 00:03:13,920 Speaker 2: bit of pride in the fact that they've experienced a 68 00:03:13,960 --> 00:03:15,120 Speaker 2: lot and they're still standing. 69 00:03:15,280 --> 00:03:17,440 Speaker 1: Yeah, Hey, we're going to be thinking of you over 70 00:03:17,520 --> 00:03:19,040 Speaker 1: the next twenty four hours or so. I know, it's 71 00:03:19,040 --> 00:03:20,960 Speaker 1: probably a pretty stressful time and it's kind of the 72 00:03:21,120 --> 00:03:24,000 Speaker 1: calm before the storm right now. But yeah, all the 73 00:03:24,080 --> 00:03:25,320 Speaker 1: very best for when it does arrive. 74 00:03:26,360 --> 00:03:27,000 Speaker 2: Appreciate it. 75 00:03:27,040 --> 00:03:29,360 Speaker 1: Good to talk to you you too. That's Ellison Petrowski, 76 00:03:29,480 --> 00:03:33,360 Speaker 1: years Channel nine's US correspondent, reporting to us there from 77 00:03:33,480 --> 00:03:37,480 Speaker 1: Tampa in Florida. I have been to the aftermath of 78 00:03:37,960 --> 00:03:41,200 Speaker 1: not a hurricane with winds the strong, but a tornado 79 00:03:41,240 --> 00:03:45,279 Speaker 1: with winds are strong twenty thirteen the more tornado in Oklahoma, 80 00:03:45,480 --> 00:03:47,840 Speaker 1: so wins that are of a very similar speed. I 81 00:03:47,840 --> 00:03:49,560 Speaker 1: think the winds then we're about three hundred ks an 82 00:03:49,600 --> 00:03:51,280 Speaker 1: hour at their worst. These winds are forecast to be 83 00:03:51,280 --> 00:03:53,000 Speaker 1: about two hundred and seventy k's an hour, and it 84 00:03:53,040 --> 00:03:55,920 Speaker 1: was straight after the christ Church earthquake, so I could 85 00:03:56,000 --> 00:04:00,320 Speaker 1: kind of compere the scale of the damage. Honestly, it 86 00:04:00,400 --> 00:04:03,600 Speaker 1: is hard for the human being to comprehend, for human 87 00:04:03,600 --> 00:04:07,600 Speaker 1: beings to comprehend just what two hundred and seventy or 88 00:04:07,600 --> 00:04:10,520 Speaker 1: three hundred kilometers now means in terms of wind strength. 89 00:04:10,640 --> 00:04:14,880 Speaker 1: The devastation is absolute. It like completely scours the earth. 90 00:04:15,040 --> 00:04:18,080 Speaker 1: Combine that with the storm sage. They're expecting a storm 91 00:04:18,080 --> 00:04:21,120 Speaker 1: sage of about four and a half meters along the 92 00:04:21,160 --> 00:04:23,560 Speaker 1: Florida coast. I mean, this really has the potential to 93 00:04:23,640 --> 00:04:26,719 Speaker 1: be a catastrophic storm and as well as the human cost. 94 00:04:26,800 --> 00:04:29,240 Speaker 1: Of course, there is an election in the US less 95 00:04:29,240 --> 00:04:31,320 Speaker 1: than a month away. Quarter past five on News talks 96 00:04:31,400 --> 00:04:35,640 Speaker 1: 'DB for more from Heather Duplessy Allen Drive. Listen live 97 00:04:35,760 --> 00:04:38,960 Speaker 1: to News Talks dB from four pm weekdays, or follow 98 00:04:39,000 --> 00:04:40,760 Speaker 1: the podcast on iHeartRadio.