The cleanup continues around Florida after Hurricane Milton made landfall Wednesday night.

Minnesotans are sharing their accounts of the storm’s impact and how they’re hoping to help those affected.

The Minnesota National Guard has a team on the road and is expected to arrive in Florida on Thursday.

“We’re happy to be there, we’re happy to help and we’re here to support,” said Brooke Majchrzak, Air Force Captain with the Minnesota National Guard’s 148th Fighter Wing Search and Recovery Team.

For those who live in the path of the hurricane, 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS talked with one man who grew up in Minnesota and shared what it was like to watch the storm roll in.

“When it hits this close it definitely is scary we were all sitting inside,” said Corey Stuempert, the son of a KSTP photographer who now lives in Florida.

Corey Stuempert grew up in Minnesota but has called Florida home for about the last 8 years.

“This was definitely a more powerful storm than I thought it was going to be,” Stuempert said. “Just even standing outside my door up on my second-floor balcony, which is kind of secluded, the wind was knocking me off balance.”

Stuempert decided not to evacuate his St. Petersburg home because he says he’s not in the flood zone.

“Just kind of hung out here, I had to take my dog out in the middle of the night once it kind of passed. It was still really windy, but we got out,” Stuempert said.

Cleanup is now underway across the state as help arrives from all over.

“You know when you’re watching that movie and there’s something bad that happens and a team shows up and saves the day, we are part of that team and it feels very fulfilling to be part of that team,” Majchrzak said.

In St. Petersburg, the roof of the Tampa Bay Rays stadium is ripped to shreds, and a crane crashed into another building. Stuempert heard it all from his place blocks away.

“Maybe 9 o’clock, I thought I heard a building falling or something; it was just really loud, and it turns out it was one of those cranes,” Stuempert said.

As people continue to assess the damage, Stuempert is grateful to offer his home to anyone in need.

“I still have power, so I definitely welcome people if they need to cook or have food that they want to bring over,” he said.

Xcel Energy also has crews on standby to help. Many of them from Minnesota were in Georgia following Helene, and are ready to assist with power restoration in Florida now too.