Minnesotan in Florida prepares for incoming Hurricane Helene

Hurricane Helene is expected to make landfall on Florida’s coast Thursday night and it’s impacting residents across the state, including Minnesotans who relocated to the Sunshine State. 

Minnesota native Barbara Pelton grew up navigating extreme weather, but in this case, she swapped the snow for a massive hurricane.

“It’s horrible. It’s sort of like the storm is lurking all around,” Pelton said.

Pelton lives on Pine Island off the coast of Fort Myers, Florida, but right now, she’s dog-sitting for her son in Tampa.

Her eyes are glued to the radar preparing for what’s to come. 

“You just make a plan and hope it works out okay,” Pelton said.

Hurricane Helene is racing toward northwestern Florida as meteorologists predict a catastrophic storm surge.

Pelton sent 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS a video of the tropical storm-force winds already hitting the state.

She also provided a photo showing an empty, normally crowded Clearwater Beach boardwalk. She explained that businesses are mostly closed and boarded up as people hunker down in their homes.

In 2022, Hurricane Ian left parts of Florida devastated, including Pelton’s home in Pine Island, which was in the eye of the storm.

“It was apocalyptic. It was just like crazy. It was unreal,” Pelton said.

With two big hurricanes in the last four years, Pelton is looking forward to when the clouds clear, but until then, safety is top of mind.

“Send some Minnesota love down here and prayers for people; that’d be great,” Pelton said.

The American Red Cross Minnesota and Dakotas Region said in a statement they are mobilizing four Emergency Response Vehicles (ERVs) from Minneapolis, Mankato, Duluth, and Rapid City, SD, to Florida to support relief efforts for those affected by Hurricane Helene by delivering food, supplies, and comfort to those affected by disasters.

A live look at conditions in Florida can be found HERE.