(WENY) -- Warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico helped turn Hurricane Milton into a category five storm on Monday afternoon. Hurricane Milton is forecast to hit Florida on Wednesday evening as a category three hurricane and residents are preparing for the devastation it could bring.
"We try to stay good ahead of time as much as possible. We do have [a] backup power generator, inverters, and solar panels. I've got my batteries charged. We're trying to prepare for everything that you can prepare for," said Shaun Kennedy, a Florida resident.
Kennedy currently lives in Citrus Springs, Florida but used to reside in the Twin Tiers. He said because he lives at a higher elevation, he is choosing to stay. However, if it gets really bad, he will evacuate.
"If it's time to go, it's time to go. That's any advice I would give to anyone, no matter what. [No matter how many storms you've been through, if they say to go, go," said Kennedy.
Debbie Dupuy grew up in the Southern Tier and moved to Frostproof, Florida three years ago. She said she didn't feel the effects of Helene, but Milton will be different.
"The big impact for us is going to be the high winds. I watched an 11 o'clock update and they're saying that the winds when it hits our area, we're looking at probably 75-110 mile an hour winds," said Dupuy.
She said she has storm shutters already put up, and that she has to bring anything that's outside, in. Dupuy said they have a generator in case the power goes out.
Dupuy said one reason she's staying is because she lives in a 55+ community. She said she's concerned about her older neighbors who may need help.
"We have a lot of neighbors who are older than us [and] don't have the capabilities to leave. It would be hard to pull out and leave them here [be]cause we are such a community. I think a lot of our concern right now is more for neighbors and making sure they're safe, calm, and able to ride it out as well," said Dupuy.
Both Dupuy and Kennedy are already seeing the impact of Hurricane Milton at the store. They said the shelves are bare and there are shortages of some items like bottled water.
"The shelves definitely [were] bare and it was a challenge. I tend to do a lot of online food ordering and have it delivered. Last night, I was gonna place an order but they had all the times blocked off until Saturday. So, either they're out of items or all the pickup/delivery times are full," said Dupuy.