Sad reason people are being urged to write names on their legs as Hurricane Milton hits Florida

As Hurricane Milton - the most severe natural disaster to hit the American east coast - continues to make way through Florida's midlands, residents have been advised to scribe their names onto their legs.

Experts have described the hurricane as the 'deadliest' and most 'catastrophic' storm to hit the state in 100 years.

Residents were advised to evacuate (MIGUEL J. RODRIGUEZ CARRILLO/AFP via Getty Images)

As a result, locals were advised to flee their homes and take refuge elsewhere in a bid to protect themselves against the 165 mph winds.

Tragically, however, many have been left unable to retreat to safety, and are being forced to wait out the life-threatening disaster - including one farmer, who has been forced to shelter her animals inside her own home.

As well as advice about fleeing the area that the storm is scheduled to hit directly, officials are encouraging remaining Florida residents to write their names onto their legs for a utterly harrowing reason: to identify the bodies of those killed.

Speaking to locals yesterday as the storm was beginning to devastate several coastal towns, Holmes Beach police chief William Tokajer issued a stern warning, telling them 'if you don't leave, you're on your own'.

"Take a pen and write your name and social security number on your leg so that we have a contact if we find you," he said on CNN.

"Because this is not going to end well."

Locals were advised to write their names on their legs (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

Milton firstly smashed through the Tampa area last night, days after the mayor of the region - Jane Castor - issued another warning about the 15ft storm submerging entire properties into deep, dangerous water.

Speaking frankly, she addressed the reality that those who choose to stay in their homes are likely to die.

"So if you're in it, basically that's the coffin that you're in," she warned this week.

The storm started off as a Category 5 hurricane when it first began stirring in the Atlantic Ocean over the weekend.

Despite it now having been downgraded to a Category 4, the storm has increased in size, and is predicted to lay waste to colossal patches of land.

The national guard has now been drafted in to assist any residence who are unable to evacuate their properties in the eleventh hour, as heartbreaking clips taken from across the state continue to take over social media.

Emergency Management Director Cathie Perkins said in a press conference on Wednesday morning (9 October): "This is it, folks.

Milton began in the Atlantic Ocean (FrankRamspott/Getty)

"Those of you who were punched during Hurricane Helene, this is going to be a knockout.

"You need to get out and you need to get out now."

She went on: "Everybody in Tampa Bay should assume we are going to be ground zero."