'It is exhausting': Former Sask. residents experience Hurricane Ian in Florida
Some former Saskatchewan residents experienced hurricane conditions for the first time in Florida this week.
In western Florida, Hurricane Ian made landfall Wednesday as a category four storm, with winds hitting a monstrous 241 km/h. It was the fifth strongest hurricane in United States history.
Mark Taylor moved to Tampa Bay, Fla. from Regina in 2021 and experienced his first hurricane this week. He, his wife, two sons and dog were set to move into their new house on Thursday, but the incoming storm forced them to move all their belongings into the house and immediately evacuate to Orlando.
“I’ve got Taylor family photos going back a hundred years,” said Taylor. “Then we just turned our backs on the door and hit the road. We haven’t even spent a night in our house.”
Taylor described the drive from Tampa Bay to Orlando as apocalyptic.
“We saw people boarding up their houses and sandbagging their homes,” he said. “Going to Orlando was bumper to bumper for three hours and the other road, going into Tampa, was empty.”
South of Orlando in Poinciana, Fla., Rusty Watson also experienced her first hurricane since moving to the state from Saskatchewan three years ago. Her friends gave her tips on how to be prepared for the situation.
“The basic thing was keep a full tank of gas, don’t go out if you don’t have to and if they tell you to stay home: stay home,” said Watson. “But if they tell you to leave, leave.”
Watson said Florida is a beautiful place to visit in the winter and she missed Saskatchewan dearly but would take a winter whiteout over a hurricane.
“I would take a 40-below and the storms over this any day,” she said. “It is exhausting, the stress and constantly being on edge.”
For Taylor, he said his family was extremely lucky. Their new home seems to have minimal-to-no damage and they cannot wait to spend their first night there soon.
“I am now a believer in hurricanes and what you need to do to be prepared,” he said. “It’s serious stuff. You’re going up against an ocean.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.
U.S. flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.
Powerful tornado tears across Nebraska, weather service warns of 'catastrophic' damage
Devastating tornadoes tore across parts of eastern Nebraska and northeast Texas Friday as a multi-day severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States.