DE PERE, WI (WTAQ) – A St. Norbert College student from Naples, Florida explains how his family is preparing for Hurricane Irma.
“Making sure everyone has enough water, enough food, enough gas. Inevitably, we’re going to lose power. Beyond that, it goes to boarding up windows, make sure everything’s off the pool patio, all things outside are locked up, cars are in garages.”
Senior Andrew LeMay says his family plans to stay in its home since the initial evacuation order was canceled when the storm projections shifted east, with an expected Sunday morning landfall in the Miami area.
However, LeMay expects his hometown will still feel some effects.
“The storm thankfully, at least for us, has shifted east. We’ll still be getting hurricane force winds, 6-12 inches of rain, at least.”
LeMay says his family is currently ensuring they have enough supplies to ride things out for up to two weeks.
While he won’t be there for Irma, LeMay says he did live through both Hurricane Charley and Hurricane Wilma, in 2004 and 2005, respectively.
“Once you get into the gut of that hurricane, it can be two hours, it can be eight hours, it can be ten hours where it is just pitch black, raining sideways, trees are falling over, houses rattling.”
With disaster approaching his home state, LeMay explains what it is like being more than 1,500 miles from home.
“There’s definitely a feeling of helplessness. As much as I’m glad that I’m not there in danger, I do wish I was there to help.”
LeMay is a senior biology major who is also on the school’s cross country/track team.
