As Hurricane Milton barrelled towards Florida’s Gulf Coast yesterday, Bermudians in the Sunshine State gave varying accounts of preparations for the mammoth storm.

At 5pm yesterday, the National Hurricane Centre said the storm’s path had been “wobbling” during most of the day.

It said the Category 4 storm was packing sustained winds nearing 155mph with higher gusts.

“While fluctuations in intensity are expected, Milton is forecast to remain an extremely dangerous hurricane through landfall in Florida,” the NHC said.

It added: “The centre is likely to make landfall along the west-central coast of Florida on Wednesday night, and move east-north-eastward across central Florida through Thursday.”

Victoria Shepherd, a veteran of Hurricane Emily, which struck Bermuda in 1987, wrote to The Royal Gazette from Tampa, where Milton is expected to sweep ashore as a powerful storm.

Ms Shepherd said she had avoided too much media coverage, which was making the atmosphere in the city “even more overwhelming”.

She described the mood in her area as “a bit mixed”.

“Some people are understandably anxious, while others feel confident, since we’re not in an evacuation zone. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that we’ll be all right.”

She added: “Growing up in Bermuda taught me a lot about hurricane preparedness, which gives me some peace of mind.

“Now if only we could build our houses out of limestone here like we did back home, I’d feel completely at ease.”

Ms Shepherd said preparations had gone “as well as can be expected”, with all the family cars filled with gasoline and a generator on hand at her parents’ older home.

“We've never had to use it before and we’re hoping we won’t need to this time either.

“For the cars that couldn’t fit in our garage, we’ve parked them in a nearby multi-story parking garage for extra protection.”

Ms Shepherd said roadside debris from past storms could “potentially be airborne, making the situation much worse”.

She added: “I must say our local government and emergency response teams are working hard around the clock to educate and inform us.”

Emily Siggins, who lives in Melbourne, Florida, was monitoring the storm’s approach.

She said: “Things are going well so far and the weather has calmed down for now, which is allowing all necessary preparations to get done.

“I have plenty of non-perishable food and water and the essentials for my two cats.

“All of my electronics have been charged, flash lights, batteries, candles, and my car has a full tank of gas.”

She said she had been listening to storm-related news as well as weather and emergency broadcasts to keep up to date on the hurricane’s progress.

Ms Siggins said she lived south of the track that Milton’s eye was likely to take.

She said: “It will hopefully only be a Category 2 or 1 storm by the time it gets over to us.”

She said she was living in Bermuda when Hurricane Fabian struck the island in 2003.

“I also lived through many other storms so I feel as if I have a good base to be ready for this storm but am staying vigilant just in case.

“Now all we can do is wait and hope Milton passes through as quickly and does as little damage as possible.”

Tiffany Perry Theodore, another Tampa resident, said she and her family planned to ride out the storm as they were not given mandatory evacuation orders — while many others had left.

She added: “Regardless, all has gone quiet and businesses have already started shutting down completely for the storm.

“Gas is scarce and for some it has become a scavenger hunt to find an available pump that actually contains gas.”

Kyle and Nicola Gray, who live in Hudson, Florida, said they had planned to ride out the storm but on Monday afternoon were ordered by the state to evacuate.

They said: “We drove overnight to avoid major traffic and gas shortages today. Hope to go back on Friday to assess damage.”

Caroline Amaral, who moved to Tampa five years ago from Bermuda, said she was not taking any chances.

Ms Amaral, who travelled to Connecticut on Monday to ride out the storm, said evacuating was not an easy decision because she had three options.

She said she could have stayed in an evacuation zone but would have faced the risk of getting caught in the storm.

She could have moved to another part of Florida — but decided on taking a flight out of the state.

She said: “I’m happy to have found a flight as that was the best option. However, I know not everyone is able to do so.

“I have many friends, and their pets, who spent many hours on the highway last night trying to get as far away from the city as they could.

“It’s stressful for me and also thinking for my friends, coworkers and neighbours.”

Now that she is out of Florida, Ms Amaral said she was worried about what she will return to in the aftermath.

She said: “I’m thankful that I only rent my apartment. However, it still contains all my furniture, special trinkets and other personal items I’ve accumulated over the past five years.

“I also just bought my first car in March, which was a very pretty monumental purchase for me.

“But now there is a very real chance that my belongings will not be the same as when I left and it’s tough accepting that while understanding that I made the right choice to leave.”

She added: “Tampa itself hasn’t had a direct hit in over 100 years but Milton is looking to cause very serious damage.”