'Damage is insane': Univ. of Tampa student from Hingham describes Hurricane Ian
TAMPA -- In the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, some residents are picking up the pieces of their lives, while others are lucky to be spared.
"From what I see on Twitter, the damage is insane," says Terrence Concannon, a Hingham native who goes to school at the University of Tampa. "The storm surge completely wiped anything out."
Concannon believes he may be one of the only students from the school who stayed behind in Tampa instead of fleeing. He has been surviving on what little he could muster from the grocery store, which is mostly chocolate milk and watermelon.
"If I were to lose power, I would have been in pretty bad shape," tells Concannon, "I am definitely rationing some stuff right now."
His neighborhood was spared from the brunt of Ian, however he still managed to snag video of the storm to send to friends and family. He says his mother was calling constantly to check on him
Concannon says the University will welcome students back on campus Friday. Some of his friends fled the area, only to end up facing the storm head-on.
"A few people I know in that area drove their cars down there and got absolutely ruined. The cars are totally ruined," tells Concannon.
On Wednesday, WBZ-TV reached out to Tony Soto, a Floridian man who left his home in Bonita Springs to take refuge with a friend in Ft. Myers. He and his wife thought it would be safer there, but then the storm redirected right at the city.
Soto says cell service is down around the state, but not at his home in Bonita. Their place remains unscathed, but he says an expensive steakhouse called Chop was destroyed. The Naples location is owned by the same company his wife works for. He says 5th Avenue in Naples is decimated.
There are stretches of Florida without power. Crews from Littleton Electric, Light, and Water were sent down to help with utility issues. They are in Jacksonville, but could be sent elsewhere if the city is spared of heavy damages.
"They are standing us down today because of the storm on us right now. They are worried about the amount of saturation that is coming in precipitation and uprooting of trees," tells Nick Lawler, General Manager of Littleton Electric, Light and Water, "The whole experience is emotional. You're surrounded by people who have lost something."