Florida families with Wisconsin ties feeling the effects of Hurricane Ian

WISCONSIN (CBS 58) — Hurricane Ian hit the Florida coast in the present day as a class 4, packing winds as much as 150 miles an hour. The priority is now for a storm surge that might flood the realm with a wall of water as much as 16 ft excessive. Our Wisconsin connections are using it out of their Florida houses.

Days of prep went into this, boarding up houses, and stocking up on meals. Some describe what they are going by as terrifying, taking them again to the times of Hurricane Katrina.

Wednesday night, the storm’s middle was situated simply north of Punta Gorda the place Angela Hemstreet lives proper on the gulf.

“I am holed up in like an inside wall lavatory in the course of the first spherical,” mentioned Angela Hemstreet of Punta Gorda.

The Hemstreets walked us outdoors for a short second.

“About an hour in the past it took down half the timber on this property. I believe it is coming again to complete it off,” mentioned Rick Hemstreet.

“It seems like the whole lot acquired blown down a technique and now the issues that have been nonetheless standing are getting pushed and careworn the opposite route,” mentioned Angela Hemstreet.

Over 1,000,000 Floridians have misplaced energy. Sixty miles south in north Naples, Evelyn Scimone and Don Ditusa with Kenosha ties, are using out the storm of their lavatory.

“The wind is simply, it is unbelievable. You simply see like tumbleweed blowing by the window,” mentioned Evelyn Scimone of Naples.

Scimone’s praying their dwelling’s aluminum hurricane shutters maintain them protected.

“They may be noisy so I am glad we do not have the entire home with the shutters as a result of it is type of a claustrophobic feeling as a result of it is so darkish,” mentioned Scimone.

Airport operations are shut down at the very least by Thursday in Tampa, Sarasota, Fort Myers and Orlando. Passengers on Southwest Airways with a visit scheduled between now and Oct. 2 for considered one of these spots have 14 days to rebook it at no cost.

“When we do go dwelling, after we do get again, will we go proper to Florida? What’s gonna be left if we do?” mentioned Patti Cahill of Cape Coral.

Patti and Tom Cahill are snowbirds with a house in Cape Coral.

“We have various pals that stayed in Cape Coral and did not evacuate and we have household in Florida,” mentioned Cahill.

They’re involved what they’re going to discover once they lastly return dwelling, however greater than that, they’re anxious about their pals.

“No one’s communicated with us within the final like hour and a half. They’ve all misplaced energy and I think that cellphone protection is just a little sketchy as effectively,” mentioned Patti Cahill.

“And all that water’s developing and hitting Fort Myers and we’re on the alternative facet of the river from Fort Myers. So we’re getting it as effectively. We do not understand how excessive the extent’s gonna get,” mentioned Tom Cahill.

The first couple in our story lives proper on the water, however they’re staying at a dwelling on greater floor. They anticipate once they’re lastly in a position to drive dwelling, the highway could also be blocked with down timber, however they’re ready with a series noticed, and the need to get there.