By Maria Henneberry/Patrick Baron
ISLAND MORADA, Fla. – One couple in the Hurricane Irma path is en route to central Florida away from their home in the central Florida Keys as Irma heads toward the U.S. mainland via the Keys this weekend.
Toni Oyler said she, her husband, Ed, and their dog will stay with cousins in central Florida for at least a week waiting out Irma. Roads are busy, fleets of ambulances are passing them to evacuate three Keys hospitals, and to keep traffic moving, the governor suspended tolls. Mandatory evacuations started Wednesday night.
Residents are advised to get re-entry stickers so they are allowed to eventually return to their homes, which Toni regrets not doing. She says they left too early, so stickers weren’t available quite yet.
“We threw clothes in some bags, and the usual old people stuff,” Toni joked. “We threw all our medications in the bag and headed north.”
Toni says deciding what to take with and leave behind is tough.
“We brought one car and left the other one in the garage, so I’m kind of worried about my car,” Toni said. “It’s kind of nerve-wracking.”
She said she’s learned some lessons out of this experience.
“If we ever have to evacuate again, I’m going to be a little more prepared with the things we should bring with us,” Toni said. “There are some papers I wish I had gotten together to bring. I did remember to bring the insurance policy for the house.”
Toni said the Keys haven’t had much major hurricane damage since she’s been alive, so this has been a nerve-wracking learning experience.
“My husband’s birthday is coming up, and I had his presents sitting there wrapped,” Toni recalled. “I wanted to bring them and I forgot them.”
The Oylers moved full-time to the Keys from Maryland two years ago, having vacationed there for 35 years. Toni said no matter what happens they’ll stay and if necessary, rebuild their stilt home near the water, because they’re done with winter weather.
But some inland Florida residents seem more than prepared for the coming storm, such as Orlando resident and Pontiac native Wes Smith. Smith tells WJBC’s Scott Laughlin his house is built to hold up against a nasty storm.
“We’re in pretty good shape, we have a new house that was built for hurricane standards,” Smith explained. “It’s got hurricane windows, it’s a concrete block structure. It’s basically a bunker dressed up to look like a Spanish house.”
Confident in his home, Smith is now sheltering his daughter and her fiance, as their home in Tampa leaves them open for disaster.
“Our daughter and her fiance are here because they live over in Tampa, which is a giant flood zone. Our son’s up in Atlanta, so he’s okay – of course it’s supposed to head up there too, but by the time it gets there it should not be as big of a threat,” said Smith.
Smith, a former hurricane reporter, said at this point the hurricanes blend together.
Maria Henneberry can be reached at [email protected].
Patrick Baron can be reached at [email protected].
