Despite hurricane “Milton” strengthening into a Category 5 hurricane in the United States, several Filipinos have chosen not to evacuate.

Among them is aquaculturist and fish farm manager of the oldest and largest tilapia hatchery in the United States — Angelito Castro.

Castro is remaining at the farm he manages located in Bradenton, Florida, which is in the hurricane’s path.

He expressed that his responsibilities to the fish, reliant on intensive farming practices, keep him from evacuating.

“If I’m not at the farm and there is a power outage, I need to turn on our generators; otherwise, our fish will die,” the aquaculturist said.

In preparation, he has stocked up on ready-to-eat food, gathered gasoline for the generators, and secured important documents and clothing should the “worst case scenario” happen.

Philippine Honorary Consul Sharol Noblejas acknowledged the difficult choice faced by many but assured that contingency plans are in place to assist Filipinos across Florida.

“Our current plan is for people to head to shelters,” Noblejas said.

There are currently 36 shelters across the state, and the US government has set up 14 large shelters along the I-75 corridor, each capable of holding over 1,000 people.

While Hurricane “Milton” is forecasted to weaken before making landfall late Wednesday or early Thursday, it is expected to double in size, potentially causing widespread destruction.

The latest reports indicate that “Milton” is packing winds of up to 160 miles per hour, with gusts reaching 195 miles per hour as it approaches the mainland.