BUFFALO, NY (WKBW) — With so many Western New Yorkers now living in Florida we have been in touch with some of those residents who tell us they will ride out this storm in their homes.
I talked with a couple of those residents, Tim Mitten who lives in Sarasota and Suzanne Leitner who lives in Fort Myers.
"I’ve got knots in my stomach,” Mitten said.
“It's very scary because we're not used to strong winds and being locked in our houses,” Leitner remarked.
While many residents living in areas where the hurricane is headed have been forced to evacuate, Mitten and Leitner are staying in their homes, for now. It's important to note, that they are not under mandatory evacuation orders, so they've decided to stay.
“We boarded up the front of the house and the back of the house, the slider windows and we're just moving everything to high ground inside,” explained Mitten.
"You just have to be prepared and we were preparing all day yesterday. You have to have gas. You have to ice. You have to have water. You have to do shutters,” Leitner said.
Hurricane Milton is expected to make landfall late Wednesday in Sarasota and near Fort Myers Beach with life-threatening storm surges and destructive winds.
“Right now, as you sit here and await this, what is your main concern?" I questioned.
"What we're concerned about is the wind is coming inland, not going out. It's coming inland, so it's going to hit everywhere, but especially the beaches — I’m concerned about the trees coming down,” responded Leitner. "And also, the roofs. The tile roofs just fly right off."
“I’m more concerned about the wind, where I’m at — lose a roof or window,” replied Mitten. “I’m at a 21-foot sea level, so I have some good elevation. I do have an older home with older windows, so I haven't quite made my final decision move inland or not to a friend’s house.”
Both tell me they are bracing for winds of more than 100 MPH. As I spoke with both of them, the wind and rain were just beginning and each showed me their yards.
“Wow it's really picking up,” Leitner commented.
“It’s going to sound like a freight train is coming through and you’re going to feel like your house is going to blow away. You just got to hunker down and get into a safe spot inside a closet or in a bathroom — away from windows,” Mitten said.
"I would take a blizzard over a hurricane. I will take snow over a hurricane,” Leitner reflected.
Leitner said she is asking everyone to “pray for all the Western New Yorkers” living in the Florida region who could be impacted by the storm.
