By KYLA RUSSELL
WISH-TV | wishtv.com
Indiana native Marcie Muensterman and her family weathered Hurricane Helene two weeks ago. Then, they hoped to make it safely through Hurricane Milton, just miles from Tampa.
Longtime Carmel resident Muensterman lives with her family in the Wesley Chapel area. That’s about 25 miles off the western coast of Florida. Their home does not sit in an evacuation zone, but is about 15 miles northwest of the last evacuation zone in the area.
Muensterman says areas up to 10 miles inland have been evacuated, which is more than what is typically told to evacuate when tornadoes uncommonly hit the area.
“It has not been hit in 103 years with a direct impact storm,” Muensterman said. “It is considered, typically, to be a better area of Florida to live in, which is one of the reasons we chose it, to be honest. I think the fear is that this is the big one, and as far as what we know about it, it does seem like it’s going to be a catastrophic storm. I’m getting goosebumps because it makes me so anxious.”
Because they are not too far from the coast, but not in an evacuation zone, they have offered up their home to anyone that needs shelter.
They currently have two women staying with them during the storm. Their guests have been in Florida for 40 years and evacuated for only one other storm.
“They didn’t have anywhere to go,” Muensterman said. “The shelters get very full. They don’t always take animals, there’s a lot of things, a lot of dynamics with evacuation.”
The Muensterman family is taking precautions to ensure they all are safe. By saving water in their bathtub, prepping their generator, and moving furniture, they are hopeful they will have what they need when their power goes out.
“It is like watching a turtle just slowly come towards you that’s gonna hurt you, you just wait,” Muensterman said. “Unfortunately, the coast is still suffering from all the cleanup and the debris and the piles of things.”
That debris is left over from Hurricane Helene, which hit just two weeks ago. News 8 spoke with Muensterman as she rode out the storm from Cancun, hoping her Anna Maria Island home was safe.
“We have a home on Anna Maria Island, which got decimated during Helene,” Muensterman said. “Helene ended up being so much worse than anyone ever, ever anticipated with it going up the coast, and to North Carolina, Tennessee, parts of Kentucky, and Indiana.”
Muensterman says that despite double hurricanes hitting her community, the people of Florida continue to band together for good.
This story was originally published by WISH-TV at wishtv.com/weather/weather-stories/indiana-native-living-in-tampa-area-describes-weathering-milton-and-helene.