By Christian Maxey
Hurricane Ian, a powerful Category 4 Atlantic hurricane, wreaked havoc on western Cuba and the southeast of the United States, particularly the states of Florida and South Carolina. On Wednesday, Sept. 28, in the late afternoon, Hurricane Ian made landfall in Florida. The island of Cayo Costa, which is close to Fort Myers and Cape Coral, had southwest coast winds with a maximum sustained speed of about 150 mph. By Wednesday night, municipalities along Florida’s west coast had imposed mandatory curfews and more than 2 million residents in the state were without electricity. Later on Wednesday, the storm steadily lost strength and became a Category 1 hurricane with top sustained winds of 90 mph. However, the state was being battered by torrential rain, and storm surge warnings were still in place.
I had the opportunity to talk to my cousin, Angela Templeton, who lives near Port Charlotte and had to evacuate. “It was such a crazy time in my life. I have six kids plus my husband and so it was just pandemonium. Thankfully we had somewhere to go, but my thoughts and prayers go out to everyone who didn’t. We had enough of a heads up that we got all the important things out in time. What’s more important than any picture or video game is that my family is safe.”
When asked about how she told her kids Templeton said, “My husband and I sat them down really quick and told them that there was a big storm coming and that we were going to need all their help (mind you they’re between the ages of 1 to 5) and they were excited. We tried to not scare them just so we could get out in time and not have to worry about calming them down.” When asked how she is feeling now after everything that has happened Templeton said, “Again I’m very thankful to God that my family and I got out safe and in time. Yeah, we lost somethings, but they are all replaceable. Whereas my kids’ lives aren’t and that’s what is most important to me.” If you want to watch or read about updates on Hurricane Ian, go to http;//www.weather.com/hurricane
