Some Floridians choose to stay despite warnings of life risk: ‘We have faith in the Lord’
Some Floridians choose to stay despite warnings of life risk: ‘We have faith in the Lord’
As Hurricane Milton approaches many cities were largely deserted but some people decided to shelter in place
As Hurricane Milton approaches many cities were largely deserted but some people decided to shelter in place
Most left when they were told to. But some chose to stay, even though officials warned Hurricane Milton would turn their homes into coffins.
Along Florida’s Gulf coast, where millions of people were urged to get out of harm’s way, cities were largely deserted on Wednesday afternoon as time ran out to evacuate. Those who remained were advised to shelter in place as best they could. Others who fled spoke of their dread at what, if anything, they would return to once the storm had passed.
...
William Tokajer, police chief of Holmes Beach, told islanders who planned to stay to write their names, dates of birth and social security numbers on their limbs with Sharpies to help identify their bodies after the storm.
And the Lord said, I sent ye a sign. A sign that said evacuate, and ye didn’t listen.
God is a pirate?
Would explain the collection basket
I adore you. Haven’t laughed this hard in a while.
🎶 Yar har fiddle dee dee, being ficticious is alright with me, do what you want 'cause a lie is me, you are a moron!
(you are a moron~)
Yaaaaay! 🎶
Fewer Republican voters in Florida, got it.
As morbid as it is to think about, this was was the first thought I had.
Just like Covid anti-vaxers. It’s a win for society.
Ok, but when they are standing on their own roofs waving at helicopters, I want rescuers to just wave back. Let their gods come down and risk life and limb to save their stubborn asses.
….. you are heartless
In Venice, about 40 miles (64km) to the south, Sherry Hall and her family decided to stay in their house several blocks from the ocean, despite many of their neighbors leaving amid warnings of a storm surge up to 15ft. Her husband, Tommy, prepared the property with shutters and sandbags, and she said they had generators, portable air conditioning units, and plenty of water and food to be self-sufficient.
Let me know how well the portable AC & generators work in 15ft of water, Sherry.
survivor bias.
They've probably done this a dozen times and made it.
Well, time for them to make a saving throw.
"several blocks from the ocean"
I'm sure that's enough, right?
One of my good friends lives in Tampa and his mom took the car and bailed while he was taking out the dogs. He's stuck at home this very moment and I only hope he's safe
What the fuck
Sounds like he needs to cut that monster out of his life.
I hope your friend is ok and able to let you know.
See, that's why I never let my mom near the car keys.
This is why I have my own house and cars lol
I wonder if they'll ever consider that an almighty god could, you know, NOT send the hurricane instead.
The democrats control the weather and sent the hurricane.
But climate change is not real and man can't affect the weather.
Odd then that they didn't send rain when CA was burning or hail on J6 or some such.
And apparently the Democratic party is more powerful than their god.
So then their god can stop the hurricane and the democrats, right? 🤣
It's god way to test our faith
Religion is great like that.
The two choices of why are always:
[ ] Punishment [ ] Test faith
I thought it was enough to not be a murder, a thief or a cheater. Well, you also shouldn't sell your soul to the devil.
Once you've sold it, no storm will save you. If you haven't sold it, you don't need a storm.
I think they're so scared of god and think they have to be tested, because they already failed and have sinned by being envious, hateful or greedy.
Then how would he punish the gay people?
By making the bottoms attracted to other bottoms and the tops attracted to other tops I think. He seems to get a chuckle out of that.
Maybe like this??
"Gods calling me!" Means the same thing as "I'm stupid and think I'm important."
Reminds me of the Parable of the Drowning Man
A storm descends on a small town, and the downpour soon turns into a flood. As the waters rise, the local preacher kneels in prayer on the church porch, surrounded by water. By and by, one of the townsfolk comes up the street in a canoe.
"Better get in, Preacher. The waters are rising fast."
"No," says the preacher. "I have faith in the Lord. He will save me."
Still the waters rise. Now the preacher is up on the balcony, wringing his hands in supplication, when another guy zips up in a motorboat.
"Come on, Preacher. We need to get you out of here. The levee's gonna break any minute."
Once again, the preacher is unmoved. "I shall remain. The Lord will see me through."
After a while the levee breaks, and the flood rushes over the church until only the steeple remains above water. The preacher is up there, clinging to the cross, when a helicopter descends out of the clouds, and a state trooper calls down to him through a megaphone.
"Grab the ladder, Preacher. This is your last chance."
Once again, the preacher insists the Lord will deliver him.
And, predictably, he drowns.
A pious man, the preacher goes to heaven. After a while he gets an interview with God, and he asks the Almighty, "Lord, I had unwavering faith in you. Why didn't you deliver me from that flood?"
God shakes his head. "What did you want from me? I sent you two boats and a helicopter."
William Tokajer, police chief of Holmes Beach, told islanders who planned to stay to write their names, dates of birth and social security numbers on their limbs with Sharpies to help identify their bodies after the storm.
Ooookay, that's super grim.
Tampa mayor on CNN, verbatim: "And I can say without any dramatization whatsoever, if you choose to stay in one of those evacuation areas, you're gonna die."
Whether she's personally roaming the zone with an AK-47 to see to it, is not clear.
That is one of the most practical suggestions I've ever seen.
They could tape their documents to their bodies, just wrap enough tape around. Sharpie may wash off.
Copied from a top level comment I made about the same quote:
This isn't a new suggestion. I remember this being told to people staying in spite of evac orders for a previous nasty storm, iirc it was Key West hearing it that time. It scared the shit out of some people back then and convinced them to leave, sadly the more times you hear something like that the less impact it has. And your neighbor managed to ride it out last time they said that...
That what FREEDOM means.
If you die, you die. Might as well make it easier to identify your corpse.
Good for them and no worries. Anything bad happens to them and we have thoughts and prayers ready and waiting to take care of it.
100%, I have faith Jesus will protect them, or if the worst happens, help them rebuild.
No need to send my tax money to trash states that just insult me.
Why would their god send a murderous hurricane then protect them from it? Feels like mafia tactics to make people rely on it.
P.s. the second 'it' refers to their god
"WITNESS ME!"
"That's a nice megachurch there. Be a real shame if some thing where to happen to it."
"That's a nice megachurch there. Be a real shame if some thing where to happen to it
Interesting thoughts...Is Clearwater in the path of this storm?
It made me think of that too. I remember hearing it on the West Wing though.
I feel bad for these people because I have a feeling that they are staying not because of religion, politics or any other reason other than ..... they can't afford to do anything else. I know a few people in Florida and from what I've gathered from many people who live down there, life is expensive and it got even more expensive in the past decade.
Many people can’t afford to evacuate. No car, no cash, nowhere to go… plenty of people like this exist.
But that’s not these people. No, this article addresses those who, in the face of a very real and very deadly storm, choose to believe in a wish-granting invisible sky wizard instead.
Evolution is cruel, but fair…
But here’s a bedtime story for the “faithful”:
A storm descends on a small town, and the downpour soon turns into a flood. As the waters rise, the local preacher kneels in prayer on the church porch, surrounded by water. By and by, one of the townsfolk comes up the street in a canoe.
“Better get in, Preacher. The waters are rising fast.”
“No,” says the preacher. “I have faith in the Lord. He will save me.”
Still the waters rise. Now the preacher is up on the balcony, wringing his hands in supplication, when another guy zips up in a motorboat.
“Come on, Preacher. We need to get you out of here. The levee’s gonna break any minute.”
Once again, the preacher is unmoved. “I shall remain. The Lord will see me through.”
After a while the levee breaks, and the flood rushes over the church until only the steeple remains above water. The preacher is up there, clinging to the cross, when a helicopter descends out of the clouds, and a state trooper calls down to him through a megaphone.
“Grab the ladder, Preacher. This is your last chance.”
Once again, the preacher insists the Lord will deliver him.
And, predictably, he drowns.
A pious man, the preacher goes to heaven. After a while he gets an interview with God, and he asks the Almighty, “Lord, I had unwavering faith in you. Why didn’t you deliver me from that flood?”
God shakes his head. “What did you want from me? I sent you two boats and a helicopter.”Sleep tight.
Ah, I was gonna post that joke but you beat me to it.
Yeah ..... I'm as anti religious as the next guy ... I'm indigenous so I've seen a lot of "Christian love" to know that these people are probably religious nuts.
But I also know desperation and being cornered into a life you have no control over ... especially if your life leads you into a dangerous situation and you have no money, no wealth, no options and no hope.
I know a lot of proud people that would never admit to anyone that they can't afford to save themselves and they'd rather raise their hands and praise the lord than admit defeat.
I may not share the same beliefs as these people and chances are they might not appreciate me either .... but it doesn't mean I'll give up my sense of empathy for my fellow man.
When I heard this story, the man wasn't just being obstinate, every time he was offered rescue, he turned it down because he was sure someone else needed the help more than he did. It's a minor difference in words, but a major difference in the tone of the story.
You're completely missing out on how many religious people want to die, there's a reason virtually every major religion say suicide makes you go to the bad place.
If you legitimately and completely believe in an ever lasting paradise, any type of life will be disappointing.
If they die it's just "god calling me home".
It's why religions are so dangerous. If someone believe in an eternal afterlife, throwing your life just means skipping to the good part. Literally any action can be justified by saying the god(s) desire it for whatever reason. Even an ineffable one.
"The Lord will save me" ones want to die, it's passive suicide to get around the punishment for it
it's almost like it was designed that way to make people throw their lives away for a ruler and to bare the misery created by aristocracy. it's classic good cop bad cop the church tells you it's going to be alright just keep your head down and keep working it will all be over soon oh and btw gives us a 10% tip on your way out. While the elite torment you making you work more and live less.
I think it's more that they want to prove to themselves God exists, because if he does, than clearly, he would save them through miracle. Arrogant bastards they are, they think God will personally help them out. Tsk. Tsk. Tsk.
If that is the case, they should say so and seek assistance. Not lie about it.
Their problem is they've already convinced themselves...
There are other reasons too. I was told by someone that they know a person who couldn't evacuate because they run a cat rescue. You can't leave rescue animals behind, but you also can't take 10 of them (or however many) with you.
One of my friends is stuck right now because his mom took the car and bailed while he was taking out the dogs. So there's also that...
Pretty sure your friend could have found someone to give them a ride, including emergency services.
Yeah, I think religious explanations are often given when someone can't tell or can't face why something is happening. When people tell me they're doing something out of religious conviction, I usually wonder what the real reasons are.
I would imagine that it might also be that maybe it’s all they ever known, and so t know where else to go. I know that’s how I’d feel if it were to be me in their shoes.
William Tokajer, police chief of Holmes Beach, told islanders who planned to stay to write their names, dates of birth and social security numbers on their limbs with Sharpies to help identify their bodies after the storm.
This isn't a new suggestion. I remember this being told to people staying in spite of evac orders for a previous nasty storm, iirc it was Key West hearing it that time. It scared the shit out of some people back then and convinced them to leave, sadly the more times you hear something like that the less impact it has. And your neighbor managed to ride it out last time they said that...
I don't know if they ever said it beforehand, but it's been a very prominent bit of information ever since Katrina for obvious reasons.
In 1984 Frankie Goes To Hollywood released their single Two Tribes. It’s about that perennial eighties trope of the imminent planet-ending nuclear apocalypse we were all hanging about for at the time. The track and remixes contain spoken samples from at least two UK government publications regarding what to do when the bombs came - it mentions id-ing corpses in a similar manner. There was a booklet sent out to every house, from the government, called “Protect and Survive” It’s hilariously optimistic about my chances of survival.
The Lord also gave ya'll legs and the ability to move... Maybe put a little faith in that, too.
Faithful at the Pearly Gates: "Lord, why didn't you help me?"
God: "I had people send you evacuation orders, wasn't that enough?"
The biggest problem, 25% (or however many) will survive this and be unharmed. Those are the ones others will hear about because god saved them. It will not matter how many believers died.
It's always fascinating to read people out of hurricane-prone areas' take on the expected survival rates for hurricanes. Absolutely amazing that you think only ~25% would survive. Andrew killed 0.0002% of Florida's population (65 deaths), and it was the most destructive hurricane in Florida history.
Jesus take the wheel!
Natural selection in action
I sincerely hope that the Lemmy user who said they lived on a sailboat in Florida and were going to ride out the storm is okay.
He is, but that dude has a record, been in prison, a sex offender, and not even from Florida.
I am now rather curious about the context. I saw his comment about being on his boat, but hadn't seen him around prior to that. I don't remember the username though, so I can't look up the profile.
You don't put God to the test by putting yourself in a dangerous situation and expecting him to just save you from your own stupidity.
God sent the evacuation alert for them. They used their free will to choose to stay. Even if you look at it from their perspective, it's a fucking stupid choice. XD
- Has faith in the Lord
- Believes that God saved Trump from assassin's bullet
- Ergo: put Trump in the path of every hurricane, enjoy being protected by proximity.
Someone better be polishing the Darwin Awards.
I distinctly remember God had Noah build the boat himself...
Well, bless their hearts!
Oh no! These Lord people will lower down tRump numbers if it sweeps them!
Others who fled spoke of their dread at what, if anything, they would return to once the storm had passed.
At least they won't be part of the debris.
Looked to me like the finger of god incoming, but adults get to make their own choices
Damn, Tokajer doesn't mess around
Nor should he. Ignoring evacuation orders for a hurricane like this one when able to evacuate is a very selfish form of suicide.
The least these assholes can do is make things a little easier for the likely critically understaffed and ridiculously underpaid workers who are going to collect their bodies.
Maybe it's because I'm not from hurricane country, but I'll never understand why people refuse to leave when told. Are they afraid looters are going to get their stuff? Then just file an insurance claim when you get back. People seem so obstinately stubborn about it for no discernable reason.
Some people don't leave because they have nowhere to go.
And no insurance
Yep dad & sister stayed in ft myers... hopefully hear from them tomorrow
The wind does not respect a fool.
That faith won't keep the water out, stupid. Man, nothing fails like prayer.
A storm descends on a small town, and the downpour soon turns into a flood. As the waters rise, the local preacher kneels in prayer on the church porch, surrounded by water. By and by, one of the townsfolk comes up the street in a canoe.
"Better get in, Preacher. The waters are rising fast."
"No," says the preacher. "I have faith in the Lord. He will save me."
Still the waters rise. Now the preacher is up on the balcony, wringing his hands in supplication, when another guy zips up in a motorboat.
"Come on, Preacher. We need to get you out of here. The levee's gonna break any minute."
Once again, the preacher is unmoved. "I shall remain. The Lord will see me through."
After a while the levee breaks, and the flood rushes over the church until only the steeple remains above water. The preacher is up there, clinging to the cross, when a helicopter descends out of the clouds, and a state trooper calls down to him through a megaphone.
"Grab the ladder, Preacher. This is your last chance."
Once again, the preacher insists the Lord will deliver him.
And, predictably, he drowns.
A pious man, the preacher goes to heaven. After a while he gets an interview with God, and he asks the Almighty, "Lord, I had unwavering faith in you. Why didn't you deliver me from that flood?"
God shakes his head. "What did you want from me? I sent you two boats and a helicopter."
The same lord that skullfucks your life right now?
And apparently, no faith in Ron White.
last I heard they where told to shelter in place and there was no way to evacuate everyone in the path from the time it went from cat 1 to cat 5 but lets all pretend it was their choice and point and laugh.
They have been told to leave for days.
Shhhhh, we can't let facts get in the way of their imagination based pearl clutching.
last I heard ...
Source?
The voices in their head.
Last I heard you write comments starting 'last I heard' to pretend that you heard something devastatingly interesting had happened when it, factually, did not, and that you do this in order to pretend to have something beneficial to say when, factually, you do not.
When do you think they found out a hurricane was coming?
Are you saying there weren't resources to evacuate everyone?