Ohio families riding out Hurricane Ian in Florida

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Those on the Gulf Coast of Florida will likely be getting a better look at all the damage from Hurricane Ian Thursday morning.

Some of those Floridians with ties to central Ohio may have some cleaning up to do.

One of those families lives in Tampa, Florida; the other is just south of there in Bradenton, Florida. For both them and millions of others in Florida, Wednesday marked a day full of intense rain and wind.

The Frambes family, who lived in Plain City, spent all day Wednesday inside listening to the storm and hoping for the best.

“It’s weird, it’s like living in a cave,” said Hilary Frambes, who now lives in Bradenton, Florida. “All the windows are covered, and all you can hear is just the rattling of the hurricane shutters and the wind.”

The Frambes just moved to Bradenton, and Ian is the first massive storm they’ve dealt with.

“I’m not showing it, but I am very nervous about what's going to happen, what could happen,” said Jeff Frambes.

“College, all my classes and everything, got canceled, everybody on campus had to be evacuated, so it's crazy,” Madeline Frambes added.

In addition to the shutters being up, they’ve stocked up on cases of water and filled their bathtubs with water. During an interview Wednesday afternoon, the storm was getting more intense in their area.

A little north of the Frambes is Gary Gaal. He also used to live central Ohio but has lived in Tampa for 22 years. He said this is the most serious storm he’s had to get ready for. He’s thankful his area was spared the worst of the storm but is now thinking of all those who are dealing with devastation.

“I just watched cars floating down the city streets in Naples, so to think that could have possibly happened here is just extremely frightening,” Gaal said.

The Frambes’ power had been flickering throughout the day Wednesday, but as of last check, they did still have power.