Former Winnipeggers in Florida brace for impact of Hurricane Milton

Former Winnipeggers present surviving successful Florida accidental they’re bracing for the imminent accomplishment of Hurricane Milton.

Matt Kozminski lives successful the metropolis of Naples, successful southwest Florida connected the Gulf of Mexico, and told 680 CJOB’s Connecting Winnipeg that galore of the buildings successful the community, including his home, are made for this weather.

“In the operation present — though we’re surely not prepared for 8-9 feet of h2o — our location is made of 100 per cent concrete.

“It’s designed to withstand a Category 5 storm. We person windows that are made of polycarbonate — the aforesaid happening they marque bulletproof windows retired of — and things similar that.”

Kozminski said helium feels assured riding retired the tempest astatine his home, which is equipped with a generator for what seems similar an inevitable powerfulness outage.

“Even though I’m 17 miles from shore, we’re surely going to person dense upwind tonight, histrion damage, things similar that,” helium said Wednesday.

“We’ve got everything buttoned down, each the furniture’s inside, and (we’re) prepared to suffer powerfulness sometime during the night. Who knows erstwhile we’ll get it back?”

Kozminski said his concern is successful the evacuation zone, truthful each of his unit person gone location to hole portion the concern remains closed.

Two-and-a-half hours north, successful Tampa, Winnipeg expat Trevor Fahey says helium and his neighbours are besides taking precautions.

Fahey told 680 CJOB’s The Start that things are a small chaotic arsenic the assemblage scrambles to hole for the storm.

“If my extortion comes off, past I’m successful occupation — but I unrecorded connected the 2nd level truthful I’m not going to get flooded,” helium said.

“I did suffer powerfulness for 2 nights successful the past tempest and that’s not amusive astatine all…. I person immoderate neighbours present I’m going to cheque successful on, but astir radical person sandbags — if they unrecorded connected the main level they’ve sandbagged, and immoderate person boarded up.

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“I’m seeing state stations and restaurants boarded up. They’re taking it precise serious.”

Fahey said he’ll apt caput northbound to bring supplies to his parents to assistance them get done the interaction of Milton.

Hurricane Milton reached maximum sustained winds of 160 m.p.h. (250 km/h) astir 715 miles southwest of Tampa successful the Gulf of Mexico, and is apt to marque landfall Wednesday.

Florida lawmakers and exigency officials person urged the evacuation of residents from areas expected to beryllium the astir impacted by the hurricane.