Former Winnipeggers in Florida brace for impact of Hurricane Milton

Former Winnipeggers now living in Florida say they’re bracing for the imminent arrival of Hurricane Milton.
Matt Kozminski lives in the city of Naples, in southwest Florida on the Gulf of Mexico, and told 680 CJOB’s Connecting Winnipeg that many of the buildings in the community, including his home, are made for this weather.
“In the structure here — although we’re certainly not prepared for 8-9 feet of water — our house is made of 100 per cent concrete.
“It’s designed to withstand a Category 5 storm. We have windows that are made of polycarbonate — the same thing they make bulletproof windows out of — and things like that.”
Kozminski said he feels confident riding out the storm at his home, which is equipped with a generator for what seems like an inevitable power outage.
“Even though I’m 17 miles from shore, we’re certainly going to have heavy wind tonight, tree damage, things like that,” he said Wednesday.
“We’ve got everything buttoned down, all the furniture’s inside, and (we’re) prepared to lose power sometime during the night. Who knows when we’ll get it back?”
Kozminski said his business is in the evacuation zone, so all of his staff have gone home to prepare while the business remains closed.
Two-and-a-half hours north, in Tampa, Winnipeg expat Trevor Fahey says he and his neighbours are also taking precautions.
Fahey told 680 CJOB’s The Start that things are a little chaotic as the community scrambles to prepare for the storm.
“If my roof comes off, then I’m in trouble — but I live on the second floor so I’m not going to get flooded,” he said.
“I did lose power for two nights in the last storm and that’s not fun at all…. I have some neighbours here I’m going to check in on, but most people have sandbags — if they live on the main floor they’ve sandbagged, and some have boarded up.
“I’m seeing gas stations and restaurants boarded up. They’re taking it very serious.”
Fahey said he’ll likely head north to bring supplies to his parents to help them get through the impact of Milton.
Hurricane Milton reached maximum sustained winds of 160 m.p.h. (250 km/h) about 715 miles southwest of Tampa in the Gulf of Mexico, and is likely to make landfall Wednesday.
Florida lawmakers and emergency officials have urged the evacuation of residents from areas expected to be the most impacted by the hurricane.