'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
Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
Statistics Canada reports real GDP up 0.6 per cent in January as Quebec strikes end
Statistics Canada says real gross domestic product grew 0.6 per cent in January, helped by the end of public sector strikes in Quebec in November and December.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 mm among weather alerts in effect for 7 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres, air quality advisories and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.
Ukrainian child asylum seekers in St. John’s get class of their own
Roughly 50 children will gathered in a St. John’s classroom for the first time on Saturday for unique lessons on Ukrainian language, culture and history.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.