ROMULUS, Mich. (WXYZ) — As Hurricane Ian approaches Florida, some are leaving the path while others in Michigan are also heading for it.
Just under 72 hours until the storm is expected to make landfall, a handful of flights from Florida were landing at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport. Many onboard are leaving cities preparing for Ian to hit.
"They said they were going to close the bridges in the morning. The hurricane alarms were going off on our phones," said Kimberly Heisler, who was on vacation in Tampa visiting her parents.
“He stopped at the grocery stores. He said the shelves are empty. There wasn't any water left anywhere,” said Todd Sneathen, who was on vacation with Orlando.
Sneathen also saw his son who lives in St. Petersburg. The coastal city is directly in Ian’s path, so his son is heading over three hours away to St. Augustine on the Atlantic side of the state.
"We worked very hard to convince him to go to somewhere else," Sneathen said. "It was very nerve racking for my wife and I.”
In Michigan, American Red Cross volunteers like Tricia Nelson are getting ready to deploy. She and 11 others will head to Florida.
"Probably about a dozen of us so far are going down and will go down pre-hurricane to get the shelters ready, and we’ll be ready,” Nelson said.
Nelson has gone on similar deployments many times before. She even keeps the shoes she wears on each mission. She says her motivating factor is her husband.
"I was a caregiver for my husband. He had a long extended illness and I lost him April of 2020," Nelson said. "You’re no longer able to care, and what better way to care than to go down and help people who really need help?”
As for those leaving Florida, they’re thankful to be back home, thinking of their loved ones still in the southeast.
"We’re praying for everyone down there,” Heisler said.
