'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
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.