Caroline Calloway Reacts to Hurricane Evacuation Backlash (Exclusive) [Video]

Influencer Caroline Calloway made headlines when she shared her plans to stay in her beachfront home in Sarasota, Fl. amid Hurricane Milton warnings. In an Instagram Stories post shared on Tuesday, Oct. 8, Calloway even noted that her area was deemed a “mandatory evacuation zone.”

Fans and followers flooded social media to express concerns for Calloway’s safety, but the Scammer author, 32, tells PEOPLE that she has no intention of changing her plans to stay put. In fact, she claims that her online community has less reason to be worried than they may think.

“I don’t know who started the rumor that I live on the ground floor, but that is not true. I live three stories up in a building with hurricane grade windows and three-foot thick concrete walls,” says Calloway, adding that even the highest estimated storm surges at 15 to 20 feet high would be unlikely to reach the third story of her complex: “The building’s never flooded before,” …