FORT MYERS, Florida — A Thunder Bay woman who just moved to Florida last month was preparing Wednesday to spend a somewhat anxious night watching the path of Hurricane Milton.
Tessa Langen, 28, relocated to Fort Myers in September to live with her fiancé, Kirby Rychel.
They were hoping for the best but preparing for the worst.
Although Fort Myers is in the southern part of Florida and is not expected to be hit as hard as the Tampa Bay area to the north, some residents have been forced to move inland away from the water to avoid potential flooding.
The couple's home is about 32 kilometres inland "so we shouldn't have too big of an issue with the water," Rychel said in an interview at mid-afternoon, explaining that the property is about 10 to 12 feet above sea level.
But the pair took precautions such as putting hurricane shutters across their windows, and stocking up on food and water.
"Everyone's pretty prepared here," Langen said. "Where we are, a lot of locals seem to be really calm. You never know, but I think we are so far inland we feel we're in a good place."
Nonetheless, she admitted to some apprehension.
"We're keeping a close eye on the situation. We've had the TV on the entire day, because things can change. It seems to be pretty unpredictable. We have our belongings ready just in case we have to leave."
Langen said she believed it would be difficult to sleep, since the hurricane wasn't expected to arrive in full force until about midnight.
She was worrying a lot for Rychel's aunt and uncle, who drove down from Sarasota to stay with the couple.
"They're going to get hit pretty good there. Their home is close to the water. A lot of people who were in the evacuation zones have migrated to our area."
Friends from the Tampa area have also had to flee to safety.
Langen said she was mindful that parts of the Fort Myers area sustained damage from Hurricane Helene less than two weeks ago.
"The people that live close to the water had a lot of flooding and a lot of damage done to their homes. I'm feeling a little bit of anxiety, just the unknown. We don't really know until tonight, you're kind of just waiting around and watching the news to see what transpires."
