ABC11 met a native Floridian who now lives in the Triangle, who said he has some worries about the storm.
"I was born and raised here. I've been through many a hurricane," said Domenic Letobarone.
Letobarone spent decades in hazardous material response and has seen the worst of Mother Nature, like the aftermath of Katrina. With Hurricane Milton expected to bring up to 12 feet of water to the city, he said even though his family lives about 30 minutes inland from Tampa, they take each storm seriously.
"We filled up both vehicles and we made sure that we had all our staples. We actually have a hurricane checklist that we go through and then, you know, make sure all the devices were charged, the flashlights, all that stuff laid out, food, water," said Letobarone.
His sister and brother-in-law, Ben Wadsworth live in Wake County. His family is trying to stay in touch with everyone, especially if they have to evacuate.
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"I think the roads were too bad. Honestly, I think they're better off staying. I mean, you hear the stories about I-75 being backed up, people running out of gas, getting stranded on the interstate, can't find a hotel," said Ben Wadsworth.
Wadsworth graduated from The University of South Florida, based in Tampa. He's got word the schools are closed and a major game for the weekend has been postponed.
"I have heard there's a lot of tornadoes popping up, so that's obviously scarier than some of the just the regular hurricane hitting because that can be, you know, one of those pops up in your neighborhood that's scary stuff," said Wadsworth.
Letobarone shared photos from Wednesday afternoon of saturated ground and he will keep an eye on potential flooding to make sure their drinking water is not impacted
"How do people make it emotionally? And it's really with the support of one another. It's like all differences and stuff like that. In a time of a crisis gets put aside, which is the way it should be," he said.