South Florida students rode out Hurricane Helene in Tallahassee
MIAMI - Some South Florida parents are breathing a sigh of relief after their kids decided to ride out Hurricane Helene in Tallahassee.
Jeremiah Johnson, who is working toward a Master of Business Administration at Florida A&M, said "being in Miami prepared me because I knew the experiences I already had when I was younger around the ages of 5, 10."
Jalen Forbes is also from Miami and an undergrad at Florida A&M. He compares Helene to Irma in 2017. "The closest one I could think about is Irma and in relation to how much people were worried about how much damage it was gonna do," Forbes said.
The students decided to take the gamble of staying at the school instead of coming home to Miami.
It was a tense night for them and their parents.
Forbes said "from my window, I don't really see any damage, but I still have to go out and explore."
Johnson stayed in the Hansen Scholarship House. "Right by our roundabout, there were trees in the way so I had to make certain turns," Johnson said.
These students made it through OK as Tallahassee was spared some of the worst. But it still made for a tense night for their parents.
Kent Frobes, who is Jalen's father, said: "Any parent will be concerned on their child about to go through their first hurricane. His mother sent him some money. So he has his supplies."
Ernessa Dennis-Johnson, the mother of Jeremiah, said she didn't worry too much.
"So I just pray trust the Lord and know that it's gonna work out some way," Dennis-Johnson said. "I'm just glad that it wasn't as bad."
Forbes said his parents are traveling up this weekend to make sure he's OK.
Johnson meanwhile says he'll be home in about two weeks.