Florida residents who rode out Hurricane Idalia had to 'swim out of their windows,' couple say
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Some Florida Gulf Coast residents who chose to ride out Hurricane Idalia at home instead of evacuating were forced to “swim out of their windows” to escape waves of water crashing through their front doors early Wednesday morning.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Some Florida Gulf Coast residents who chose to ride out Hurricane Idalia at home instead of evacuating were forced to “swim out of their windows” to escape waves of water crashing through their front doors early Wednesday morning.
In Crystal River, the powerful Category 3 hurricane left a trail of destruction behind, including toppled trees and homes and buildings almost completely underwater.
Brenda and Phil Henley, who live in Crystal River and chose not to evacuate, told MSNBC's José Díaz-Balart that some people had to swim to safety.
A submerged vehicle in Cedar Key on Wednesday.Julio Cesar Chavez / Reuters“Swimming out of their windows, literally, from their homes,” Phil Henley said, adding that the water moved in fast.
Citrus County, where Crystal River is, was under a mandatory evacuation order for all low-lying areas west of U.S. Highway 19. The couple chose to ride out the storm at home but left once the water started coming.
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