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As Hurricane Milton barreled toward the Gulf Coast of Florida on October 8, 2024, HGTV stars Mika and Brian Kleinschmidt made the difficult decision to “ride the storm out” in the Tampa area, where forecasters have predicted the hurricane will make landfall, according to NBC News.
At 7 p.m. Eastern time, an update from the National Hurricane Center confirmed that Milton was back to a Category 5 hurricane and “will bring life-threatening storm surge and winds to portions of the Florida Gulf Coast.” Forecasters there predicted that Milton, with winds near 165 miles per hour and even higher gusts, will reach Florida’s coast on the evening of October 9.
Residents along the coast have been ordered to evacuate, with traffic on highways and interstates backed up for hours, per NBC. Late on October 7, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor issued a stark warning on CNN to those in evacuation zones choosing not to leave.
“I can say, without any dramatization whatsoever, if you choose to stay in one of those evacuation areas, you’re gonna die,” Castor said.
The Kleinschmidts — stars of “100 Day Dream Home” and “100 Day Hotel Challenge” — have opted to stay in the area but not at their own home, which they expect to flood, Mika shared in an Instagram post on October 8, causing many of their fans and HGTV colleagues to worry.
“We are prepared and our plan is to stay on higher ground with family and ride out the storm together,” she wrote. “Prayers appreciated we are strong and we will rebuild together. 🙏❤️”
Mika Kleinschmidt Says It’s ‘Too Hard to Leave Family’ in Tampa Ahead of Hurricane Milton
Adding some levity to the situation, Mika shared an Instagram video of herself singing The Clash’s “Should I Stay or Should I Go,” but captioned her post with the news that she and Brian had already decided to stay in Tampa, rather than head to their vacation home in Savannah.
“Current song and mood😳,” she wrote, adding, “This is how I deal with stress and need a break from the weather channel!”
But some of the Kleinschmidts’ fans and HGTV colleagues tried to sway them to change their minds, including Atlanta-based “Married to Real Estate” star Egypt Sherrod,” who commented, “Go!!!! The day get out of Tampa friend. But definitely keep singing❤️”
Mika responded, “my ❤️ is here 😢 we will be inland as our home will likely flood but hope to be in Savannah this weekend god willing. Too hard to leave family here, but please keep us in your prayers.”
HGTV personality and designer Breegan Jane chimed in, “@egyptsherrod is right! About both!!! We need more of these lungs on the gram, that’s for sure. But also, please come visit one of us for 2-3 days?! Our guest room is open! I’m just sad that if it’s not okay, you won’t be okay, and you will be surrounded by destruction. We got you, girl. Let’s stay safe and fly back to help?!”
Another HGTV friend, Fort Lauderdale-based Galey Alix, complimented Mika’s singing and then writing, “Also, praying so hard for you and tampa 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻”
Mika told Alix, “the calm before the storm is more than just a saying,” adding, “Stay safe love ❤️”
Fans weighed in, too, begging the Kleinschmidts to be careful, including one who wrote, “Omg Mika ,you guys are in my prayers …please get to somewhere safe and we all know u guys will rebuild bigger and better 🙏🙏🙏❤️My favorites! Prayers ⬆️ up”
Before making her Instagram post, both the Kleinschmidts both shared a photo in their Instagram Stories of someone standing, hands on hips, looking out across the ocean’s horizon. Over the photo, they wrote, “The only thing stronger than this storm is our community. We’re all in this together Tampa.”
Mika Kleinschmidt Tells Ty Pennington ‘Waiting is the Worst Part’ Before Hurricane Hits
Fellow HGTV star Ty Pennington, who has a home in Palm Coast, located on the east coast of Florida, also posted about Hurricane Milton on October 8.
“The last couple weeks have been a stark reminder of just how fragile life really is 😔,” he wrote. “First hurricane Helene and now Milton. Holding my loved ones extra close and praying that Milton will go easy on all of us. If you can get out, please do. Sending love to everyone 🙏🏼💔❤️”
Mika replied to his post, “Thank you @thetypennington we are prepared and now the anticipation of waiting is the worst part. Just want this to be over with Wanted to make it to Savannah early but can’t leave the fam in case they need us. please 🙏”
Pennington wrote back, “😔💔 praying for you guys. Please stay safe”
Mika previously shared, on September 30, that she and Brian were helping with community cleanup after Hurricane Helene, and that the hotel they renovated on HGTV in 2023 had sustained major damage.
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