'Everyone is gone': Local man describes Tampa ahead of Hurricane Ian
By Courtney Cole, WBZ-TV
BOSTON -- Hurricane Ian is on its way to Florida's West Coast - projected to make landfall on Wednesday. This would be the first time a major hurricane hit Tampa and St. Petersburg in more than 100 years.
Many people have already decided to leave. But one young man from Hingham said he's staying put.
Terrence Concannon goes to school in Tampa. His mother wishes he would have made a different decision.
"I have been furiously texting him and calling him," his mother, Laura Concannon said.
"I gotta call my mom. I think I had like 14 missed calls from her at like 3 a.m. Don't know what she's doing up at 3 a.m., but she is definitely worrying about me," Terrence said.
His mom did everything she could to convince her son to leave Tampa ahead of Hurricane Ian.
"I probably woke up with 30 texts saying, 'Please go somewhere.' Go to Miami, go to Arizona, where my brother goes to school, please just go anywhere' " Terrence explained.
Terrence is a little calmer about it all. "I really think I'll be fine. I'm not too worried. I'll definitely take precautions."
"I have a couple of gallons of chocolate milk -- I'm a big chocolate milk drinker. So, I've got some of that. I've got some water, some bagels, some bread, it was limited supply. So, I'll have to make some peanut butter and jelly on some hot dog buns or something. Got to get creative here! But I'm just hoping we don't lose power," Terrence said.
He thinks he's the last of his friends to stay in Tampa.
"I know my roommate went to Tulane, a kid that I know from Quincy, Mass., he just left this morning," Terrence told WBZ-TV.
Terrence is a communications major at the University of Tampa.
"Unbelievably, my son transferred over a month ago to the Tampa area," his mother said.
Terrence has been using Twitter to share what he sees around him, as the city has been preparing for the storm's arrival.
"Right now it feels like the pandemic again. I'm getting vibes from the pandemic. There's no one on the roads, all of the stores are boarding up, there's nothing going on, everyone is gone. It's definitely a really eerie feeling to see," Terrence said.
Laura told WBZ-TV that fortunately, her son has family in the area.
"Thankfully my husband has a cousin in the Tampa area who has already texted me and said, 'He can come and stay here. He has our number,'" she said.
"I am praying for the best, I hope it's not too bad and I hope everyone stays safe," Terrence said.
