FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - As Florida braces for Hurricane Milton, locals in Tampa Bay are dealing with mandatory evacuations up and down the Gulf Coast.  Natalie Ferrari has lived in Tampa Bay for the last six years.  "So basically all up and down along the west coast of Florida, we do have a lot of mandatory evacuations," said Natalie Ferrari, a meteorologist and Tampa Bay resident.  "So right now, we've actually had rounds of rain and some even breezy winds, but that's actually unrelated to the hurricane. There's actually been this low that's been producing some of these showers and storms really since the weekend." Ferrari works as a meteorologist for an insurance company and said Hurricane Milton has her worried.  "This being a direct hit, just basically churning and being allowed to strengthen the Gulf that just has so many of us nervous from all the impacts," said Ferrari.  Not only have they been dealing with a large amount of leftover debris from Helene, but there is also a surge of people evacuating the Tampa Bay area because of the storm.  "This setup is allowing and leading to what's probably going to be considered one of the largest evacuations, mass evacuation since for the state of Florida since 2017," she said. "And that was because of Hurricane Irma." Ferrari has covered plenty of severe weather throughout her career but said this time it's different.  "Until you see it unfold with your own eyes, your own neighbors being impacted, your own personal property being impacted, it definitely hits a little differently," she said.  Right now her hope is they can return and find their home in one piece.  "I just hope that we're all able to take care of each other because no matter what we come back to," she said. "Even if we're fortunate or not, it's going to be a very lengthy recovery process for months to come."