London, Ont. snowbird tracking Hurricane Ian
While Floridians run for cover from the devastation left behind by Hurricane Ian, here in London, Ont. the Category 4 storm is being closely watched by those who have property in the Sunshine State.
Former London councillor and author Gord Hume, who has written books about the Gulf Coast, is concerned.
He has owned a condominium in St. Pete Beach for five years.
“Initially the eye of the storm was going to be landing in that area, so we were very concerned,” says Hume. “But now it’s headed just south of us, however we are still going to be impacted.”
Hume says they have already taken measures to secure his property.
”We have moved our car from the garage and we have hurricane shutters surrounding our condo,” he says.
Hume is planning on going down south next month and he’s hoping the damage is minimal.
“I hope there’s no loss of life,” says Hume. “And we want to hope that electricity is restored because this is terribly dangerous, so how people will respond and what do is yet to be seen.”
Hurricane Ian made landfall near Cayo Costa on Wednesday as a powerful Category 4 storm packing winds of 241 km/h, just on the tip of Category 5 status.
Ahead of Ian’s ferocious arrival, 2.5 million people were ordered to evacuate in southwest Florida ahead of the hurricane.
— With files from CTV News and The Associated Press
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