Hurricane Milton is expected to wreak havoc on parts of Florida, specifically the Tampa area.

Some residents have decided not to evacuate. That includes Schenectady native, Andrew Clifford.

“If there’s anything I’m most afraid of, it’s the wind and the rain. We’ve done as much as I think we can do to protect from that.”

Clifford spoke to NewsChannel 13 around 6 p.m. on Wednesday, just a few hours before Milton made landfall.

Clifford lives in Wesley Chapel with his wife. It’s about 30 minutes Northeast of Tampa.

“We live fairly far inland. We felt like we’d be a little more insulated from the storm surge. We knew the storm would weaken a little bit by the time it got us, but we’re also health care workers,” Clifford said. “We wanted to be available if it came to that, but we also felt generally safe being where we are.”

This is Clifford’s third major hurricane since moving to Florida in 2021.

Clifford and his wife evacuated for Ian but stayed put for Helene and now Milton. He said he was able to get some essential items from the grocery store.

“We have Sam’s Clubs membership, but even there it was pretty hectic,” he said. “There was a line that nearly wrapped around the store. We didn’t even get that much but some extra water, some toiletries.”

Clifford said he got lucky during Hurricane Helene. His home was nearly untouched, other than some debris in his yard. The same can’t be said for thousands of others who lost everything. Clifford said he’s praying he’ll make it out unscathed for Milton.

“The wind is definitely getting louder. We’re in an area that has a lot of trees behind it/in our backyard. It’s more than most places. We can hear it [the wind] whistling through. The rain has definitely intensified.”

NewsChannel 13 plans to keep in touch with Clifford as he rides out the storm. We will provide updates when available.