Florida city twinned with Stirling sees residents hunker down during Hurricane Milton

The city of Dunedin, Florida - twinned with Stirling - advised residents to stay indoors during Hurricane Milton as the storm caused havoc across the state.

Residents living in an American city that is twinned with Stirling were yesterday (Thursday) hunkering down as they were battered by Hurricane Milton, which has been leaving a trail of destruction in its path.

The city of Dunedin – a city on Florida’s Gulf Coast – was twinned with Stirling back in 1964. Links between the communities were strengthened when they became ‘sister cities’.

A cohort of dignitaries from the America city visited Stirling as recently as August this year and focused on supporting the City of Dunedin Pipeband at the World Pipeband Championships in Glasgow.

This week, the City of Dunedin Florida – Government issued an emergency alert over the hurricane.

They posted an alert from the National Weather Service late on Wednesday evening [UK time] which read: “An extreme wind warning is in effect for Pinellas County [the county in which Dunedin is located] for the immediate danger of life-threatening winds until 9.30pm.

“This is an extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation! Take cover now! Treat these imminent extreme winds as if a tornado was approaching and move immediately to the safe room in your shelter.”

The hurricane became the second-most intense tropical cyclone ever recorded over the Gulf of Mexico.

Sustained winds of 115mph or more were expected and the city was placed in a flood warning zone.

Click here for more news and sport from the Stirling area.

Earlier on Wednesday, the City of Dunedin Florida – Government advised residents to stay indoors and to conserve water supplies. They said: “As we prepare for Hurricane Milton now and during the storm, please conserve water usage. This will help reduce strain on our City Wastewater and sewer systems which will prevent overflows and backups. Please limit doing laundry, running dishwashers and non-essential water usage. Stay safe!”

Yesterday, as the Observer went to print, the hurricane was moving away from the city, across central Florida, towards the Atlantic, which it was expected to reach by Thursday morning local time.

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