TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, Category 3 Hurricane Milton made landfall on Wednesday night in Florida, bringing extreme flooding and high winds. One University of Arizona grad, Jeffrey Bloom lives in Florida with his family and is a member of the South Florida alumni group, the TropiCats.
As a Florida native, Bloom has seen several hurricanes and storms. He said the evacuation process during Hurricane Irma in 2017 was one of the worst experiences of his life.
“The drive to Atlanta should take eight hours, but it took 24 hours," he said. "We got diverted to Jacksonville and one of our dogs died on the way."
During hurricane season, he said the deadly storms with high wind speeds can take any object in the yard and fling it around, turning it into a missile.
“I can tell you that when the calendar hits June or July, all of us down here are on pins and needles,” he said.
He lives near Fort Lauderdale with his family, just beyond the path of Hurricane Milton. He said on Wednesday, they were near one of the tornadoes that broke out.
"Even if we don’t get a direct impact," he said. "The tornadoes can come and still damage everything, so we are still not out of the woods.”
He worked on preparing his yard and moving things into the garage.
"The only thing you can do is protect your property as much as you can," he said.
