DENVER (KDVR) — Hurricane Ian made landfall Friday in South Carolina, and some Coloradans were in its path.
FOX31 spoke to those already impacted by Ian down in Florida and those who braced for the storm Friday on the Carolina coast.
Shannon Becker is in Charleston visiting family, but she lives in Denver and said there has been nonstop rain and wind since yesterday.
“It’s very different than Colorado. The wind though is a different factor. I kind of compared it to being on top of a 14er yesterday, but even then I feel like this is worse. The element of rain is a different component that I think us Coloradans just aren’t used to,” Becker said.
Another native Coloradan, Jenny Nansel, evacuated Tampa to Atlanta before Ian hit.
“It’s definitely different. It’s interesting to hear when asking should I stay or should I go, everyone had different advice. In the end, I just went with my own gut,” Nansel said.
She’s been in Tampa for four years, but this is her first major storm.
“I grew up pretty much in the northwest side near Broomfield, and so I have been through the winds that came come on Highway 93 near Boulder,” she said. “And so we think, oh, we have winds, but it’s not just the wind. It’s really the water and the power of the water.”
Nansel said there is one comparison to Colorado: the resiliency of those impacted by storms.
“Coloradans know what it’s like to go through a devastation. I mean, it doesn’t matter where you live, Mother Nature is beyond our control. So we just have to ride with it and support others when that help is needed,” Nansel said.
If you would like to donate to those significantly impacted by Hurricane Ian, you can here.