 "Social media influencer Caroline Calloway has refused to evacuate her Florida home amid Hurricane Milton. Image courtesy: Instagram/Caroline Calloway")
Hurricane Milton struck Florida as a Category 3 storm on Wednesday, causing more misery to a coast already impacted by Hurricane Helen. A 32-year-old influencer and writer, Caroline Calloway, has now refused to leave her home in a mandatory evacuation zone, causing a social media debate.
In a now-deleted video, she said, “So if you’ve been following Hurricane Milton, um, I’m going to die.” She added, “It’s supposed to make landfall in the Sarasota-Bradenton area. I’m in Sarasota, I live on the water. It’s a zone A, mandatory evacuation.”
Who is Caroline Calloway?
Calloway, who calls herself a “scammer,” defrauded hundreds of fans who paid for “creative workshops” that never took place. She also spent a six-figure book advance on a project that was never completed and launched a skincare line called Snake Oil.
After being accused of owing $40,000 in unpaid rent, Calloway left her West Village apartment and relocated to Florida a few years ago. Her deceptive schemes were exposed in a BBC documentary titled “My Insta Scammer Friend,” where victims shared how the influencer duped them.
As reported by The New Yorker, Calloway first gained attention for her “aesthetic” Instagram posts and lengthy captions about her time as an American student at Cambridge. However, in a 2019 article for The Cut, former friend Natalie Beach claimed Calloway’s rise to fame was built on buying bot followers and receiving help with her Instagram captions and book proposal.
The publication also points out that Calloway sold overpriced tickets to several poorly planned “creativity workshops” across the US, earning her the label of a “one-woman Fyre Fest.” She has often been compared to Anna Delvey, the convicted con artist who posed as a German heiress.
Notably, in her book Scammer, Calloway admits to her fraudulent actions. “The worst scams I ever perpetrated were the ones for which I was never caught,” she wrote.
What did Caroline Calloway say about the hurricane?
The 32-year-old influencer explained why she’s choosing not to evacuate, despite posting a video of a Florida official warning that those who stay behind “will die.”
“I can’t drive, first of all. Second of all, the airport is closed,” she said.
She added, “Third of all, the last time I evacuated for a hurricane, I went to my mom’s house in Northport for Hurricane Ian … Her whole street flooded and we were evacuated after three days without power or running water by the US military.”
“It was very traumatic and so I don’t want to evacuate to my mom’s house because the last time I did that, it was the worst time ever!”
Calloway then said that she was staying home with her cat and had prepared by filling her bathtub with “backup water.” Soon after this, she shared a video of Tampa Bay Mayor Jane Castor warning that residents who don’t evacuate “will die,” followed by an image showing the ocean view from her home.
“I’m not evacuating for the hurricane. I live in Sarasota, on the beach, in evacuation zone A,” she again stated.
“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.”
How did social media react to this?
As the warnings continued, many online users are urging her to reconsider, though some, given her controversial past, are sceptical.
One user wrote, “Caroline Calloway has lied about so much. What makes us sure she’s not lying about not evacuating??”
“no one should read advice from this lady lol,” wrote another. “You guys she’s scamming no way she’s still there,” a third user on X posted.
Concerns have also been raised for her cat, with some accusing the author of being irresponsible.
“If Caroline Calloway actually survives this (I don’t wish death on anyone, even stupid people riding out a Cat5 storm for clout), I hope she’s never allowed to own an animal again in her life. Frankly, I care more about her animals, who are helpless in this situation, than her,” a user wrote.
How did Calloway react to the criticism?
Calloway has responded to criticism with a carefree approach, making jokes about her situation. As users on X urged her to evacuate, she posted on X, “I have champagne and four generations of Floridians in my veins. It’ll be fine.”
She also clarified that she has never considered herself a “role model” when it comes to handling natural disasters.
“I am not going to be trying to, overnight, turn into some sort of social activist or government official or meteorological expert or even just a moral role model, right?” she stated. “My content will be what it’s always been, which is entertainment, which is chaos, which is art, which is a first-person account of my life, yes, a digital memoir.”
Hurricane Milton
Hurricane Milton turned south in its final hours, making landfall in Siesta Key near Sarasota, approximately 70 miles (112 kilometres) south of Tampa. Despite this, the situation in the Tampa area remained critical, as St. Petersburg recorded over 16 inches (41 centimetres) of rain, leading the National Weather Service to issue flash flooding warnings.
Tropicana Field, home to the Tampa Bay Rays in St. Petersburg, appeared to have sustained heavy damage. More than 1.9 million homes and businesses across Florida were without power, according to poweroutage.us, which monitors utility outages. The most affected areas were Hardee County, along with neighbouring Sarasota and Manatee counties.
Even before Milton made landfall, tornadoes were hitting various parts of the state. The Spanish Lakes Country Club near Fort Pierce, on Florida’s Atlantic Coast, suffered severe damage, with homes destroyed and some residents losing their lives.
About 125 homes were destroyed before the hurricane came ashore, Kevin Guthrie, director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, said.
Nearly 90 minutes after making landfall, Milton was downgraded to a Category 2 storm. By late Wednesday, the hurricane’s maximum sustained winds had decreased to around 105 mph (165 kph), with storm surge warnings still in effect for parts of Florida’s Gulf and Atlantic coastlines.
With inputs from agencies