Brazilians in Florida Report Concerns About Hurricane Survival

For Giselle Cyríaco, a 34-year-old Brazilian who lives with her family in Winter Garden, Florida, the arrival of Hurricane Ian was a desperate moment. From Brazil, family and friends were also concerned about the businesswoman, her husband and their 3- and 10-year-old daughters who have lived in the US for four years.

“It was a very strong storm, with a lot of wind. Trees fell around here”, says Giselle, who was at home with her family this Wednesday (28), when the alert for Hurricane Ian began, and points out that, at the place, the impact was even low, but sufficient. to provoke despair and anguish.

From the US, she reassured Brazilian family members and followed the recommendation of US authorities to stay at home. The exits, in this case, happened only to go to the market and the gas station.

“We bought food, lots of water”, she says, who also says that the market was very full and with limitations on the quantity of purchases for certain products. The family even put “too much gas in the car” in case they needed to go out.

Giselle has an Instagram account that she uses to post about travel. There, she made a series of posts about the passage of the hurricane, which, according to her, helped to reassure friends and family about her and her family’s conditions.

One day after the arrival of the hurricane, the family bets on unity to face the moment. “We are very united, sleeping in the living room afraid of sleeping in the bedroom”, reports Giselle.

Also according to the Brazilian, parks, markets and airports remain closed in the region where she lives. This closure meant that several tourists had to postpone their trips.

This is the case of Matheus Heinrich, administrator and entrepreneur who was also interviewed by CNN. He traveled with his mother to Miami and, even though he was far from the focus of the hurricane, his flight back to Brazil was postponed. With a ticket initially purchased for Friday (29), at 12:40 pm, the duo received an information saying that the flight was cancelled.

Because of this, he and his mother had to find another hotel to stay until October 1st, the closest date he could get to reschedule the flight. The current situation in Miami, according to Matheus, is calmer. This Thursday it was sunny and flights should already return to operation.

Hurricane Ian

Hurricane Ian caused many tragedies wherever it passed. Until this Thursday (29), 15 people had died as a result of the phenomenon. US President Joe Biden said Ian could be the “deadliest hurricane in Florida’s history.”

Life is expected to return to normal soon, with the governor of Florida hoping that schools can reopen on Friday (30) or Monday (3). International flights should resume this Friday.

*under the guidance of Bárbara Brambila.