Caroline Calloway, the controversial author and notorious “scammer,” says she’s choosing likely death over a mandatory evacuation. As Hurricane Milton gears up to make landfall directly in her hometown of Sarasota, Florida, Calloway revealed on her Instagram Story that she is staying put in her oceanside apartment.
“So, if you’ve been following Hurricane Milton, I’m going to die,” Calloway told her Instagram followers in a since-expired video.
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The statement appeared to be in reference to Tampa Mayor Jane Castor’s dire warning on CNN: “I can say, without any dramatization whatsoever, if you choose to stay in one of those evacuation areas, you’re going to die,” Castor said.
Calloway told her followers, “It’s supposed to make landfall in the Sarasota/Bradenton area. I am in Sarasota. I live on the water. It’s Zone A. Mandatory evacuation.”
Why Caroline Calloway Isn’t Leaving
As for why she opted to stay put, the influencer complained that last time she evacuated for a storm, it was “the worst time ever.”
“I can’t drive, first of all. Second of all, the airport is closed. Third of all, the last time I evacuated for a hurricane, I went to my mom’s house in North Port,” Calloway said. “Her whole street flooded, and we were evacuated after three days without power and food or running water by the US military. It was very traumatic.”
Since Calloway seems to think that a deadly hurricane will be less traumatic than several days without power, she said that she’s riding out the storm with her cat.
“We’ve filled the bathtub up with backup water. We have food,” she said, before admitting that the whole thing is “kind of scary.”
Calloway also discussed her decision on X, unironically using the fast-approaching natural disaster as a way to promote her forthcoming book.
“I’m not evacuating for the hurricane. I live in Sarasota, on the beach, in evacuation Zone A,” she tweeted. “For more great advice, buy my second book! It’s called Elizabeth Wurtzel and Caroline Calloway’s Guide to Life. It’s about to come out if I survive! It’s an advice book ;-) Cute!!!!! <3”
As for how she thinks she’ll make it through, Calloway tweeted, “I have champagne and four generations of Floridians in my veins. It’ll be fine.”
In 2023, VICE visited Calloway at home in Sarasota, where she worked to deliver her long-promised books amid constant distractions from Internet trolls.