INDIANAPOLIS — Myles Cook is used to the Midwest's tornado season. Boarding up the windows of his Sarasota home, the Indianapolis native is hunkering down Wednesday as Hurricane Ian approaches.
"It's just kind of the waiting game, I guess. Just waiting for it to get bad," said Cook. "Back home, a storm comes and it just hits you. Here, they know it's coming, but you've got to wait three days until it gets there."
He moved to the Sunshine State two years ago and is experiencing his first hurricane.
“They evacuated people closer to the water, but we’re not evacuated and still have power, but tonight is going to be the test, I’m assuming," said Cook.
Ian made landfall Wednesday in southwest Florida as a Category 4 storm, one of the most powerful storms ever recorded in the U.S. The storm is packing 150 mph winds and a surge of water that is swamping streets in the southern part of the state.
About 45 miles away from Myles Cook, Blake and Shalena Hunter are also staying put in their new home of Port Charlotte.
"We talked to the locals, we talked to the neighbors, we talked to random people at gas stations. Everybody says, 'No, don't leave,'" Shalena said. "Hunker down unless you're at Zone A. Just hunker down."
"It's honestly just been a patience game, waiting. Waiting for what you know is inevitable," Blake said. "Hope that you've planned, hope that you're ready. This is something new for all of us."
Like everyone in Ian's path, they're all expecting the worst, but hoping for the best.