LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida Wednesday as a category 3 hurricane with 120 mile per hour winds.
WHAS11 News spoke with Louisville-native Denise Vasquez-Troutman, who now lives in South Tampa, hours before Milton made landfall.
She decided to stay in her Tampa home to be close to her children and friends.
"The road is becoming an ocean, basically. There's probably about eight inches in the actual street in front of my building, and the water is rising out of our pool here, but I'm on the second floor, so I feel safe," Vasquez-Troutman said. "But, the winds have have gotten crazy, and it's just really heartbreaking because many folks here, even friends, are now getting hit a second time, where Helene came and hit them with four feet of water in their home. They just started pulling out drywall, and now it's just, it's just devastating, absolutely devastating, and it's only going to get worse."
She said she took cautionary measures and prepared her home with flashlights and candles, as well as charged phones and a filled bathtub.
An hour before landfall, St. Matthews United Methodist Church (UMCOR) held a special service to pray for those who have been impacted by Hurricane Helene, and those who are in the path of Milton.
“Even though it’s thousands of miles away, offering that space and that outlet for people to pray is really important," Senior Pastor Adam Sparks said. “We’re called to pray and then we’re also called after the storm goes through to give and serve.”
The church sent relief aid to those impacted in the Carolinas, and are collecting monetary donations and putting together flood buckets to help those impacted by Milton. The flood buckets contain cleaning supplies Floridians can use to clean up their homes after the storms pass.
“People are asking the question: where is God in all of this? And I think tonight’s an important reminder that God is with us. Even during the most troubling times, even in the midst of disaster we can turn to God and know that God is there," Sparks said.
Brenda Froelich has been a member of UMCOR for 50 years.
"This is my home," she said.
But, the Froelich's also have a home in Melbourne, Florida, on the eastern side of the state. Froelich continuously checks her Ring camera as the storm comes into her town. She said her neighbors helped prepare the home before Milton made landfall.
"Just pray that they have the strength and the courage and just, just stay strong, you know, through all of this. And I know that the people in Florida are strong, you know, and they've been through this," Froelich said.
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