Mancunian couple 'bunker down' in Florida hotel room as windows 'rattle' during one of worst hurricanes ever recorded
30.09.2022 - 11:11
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
A Manchester councillor and her partner 'bunkered down' in their hotel room in Florida due to the ongoing hurricane, which has caused mass devastation across the sunshine state. Jade Doswell, Labour councillor for Fallowfield, flew out to Orlando with her partner Liam on Sunday September 18 for a two week trip, but her holiday soon saw her on lockdown in the hotel room for two days.
Jade, 32, has spoken of the terrifying scenes she has witnessed on television news reports, seeing 'houses floating in the water' and 'mass devastation' but says she and her partner have stayed safe, with the brunt of the disaster mainly hitting the coast. Hurricane Ian was recorded as massive Category 4 storm and fifth-strongest US hurricane on record, causing around 2.5 million people to evacuate their homes this week.
And as the storm passed over Orlando in the early hours of Thursday morning, Jade said that her hotel room windows on the second floor were 'rattling' but that she is 'thankful to be safe' ahead of her flight home this Sunday.
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Speaking from her hotel room on International Drive, Orlando, Jade said: "We came out here almost two weeks ago, we knew it was hurricane season and expected storms, but nothing anywhere near this bad.
"Every time we turn on the TV it's all over the news. It has caused such awful devastation, especially at the coast. Houses are floating in water and bridges have been blown down. So many people have had to leave their homes, it is just awful."
The storm began heading inland on Wednesday (September 28), where it was expected to weaken - but residents in central Florida were still warned of