Locals await news from family and friends in Florida

FEEDING HILLS, Mass. (WWLP) – 22News is hearing from a western Massachusetts resident with ties to Florida, who is waiting to hear from her loved ones as Hurricane Milton makes landfall.

Arden D’Amours, from Feeding Hills, was born and raised in rural Pine Island, Florida, near the city of Fort Myers. She tells us that most of her family and friends still live there and some were unable to evacuate, but are prepared for Hurricane Milton.

She’s received videos of the tornado in Matlacha, with some sending footage of palm trees in Cape Coral bending over during severe wind gusts. Arden says she has experienced many hurricanes in her lifetime, but the storms over the past decade have been unlike anything she has ever seen, devastating her childhood home.

“I’m sad,” she says. “My home and my childhood have been taken away. So I’m just waiting until tomorrow and hopefully, they will be able to get in touch with me where at least I know that they are safe–and go from there.”

Pine Island is expecting storm surges over 6 feet. Arden says she plans to head down to Florida to help with recovery and clean-up efforts in Pine Island once the storm has passed.

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