Fla. evacuees stopping at Richmond Hill gas station ahead of Ian’s landfall

RICHMOND HILL, Ga. (WTOC) - Evacuations from parts of Florida are underway.

Many families from Florida are looking to avoid any potential impacts from Hurricane Ian. And they’re using gas stations like the one just off I-95 in Richmond Hill to fill up their tanks before continuing on.

“I anticipate it being pretty rough,” evacuee Matt Everett said.

Everett is evacuating his Naples home, en route to North Carolina. He says many are taking precautions.

“There’s a lot of people leaving, that we are friends with and a lot of hunkering down. They’re putting all the moveable furniture inside the house and trying secure what you can,” Everett said.

Sarah Graham is also with her family leaving Florida’s west coast after being placed under mandatory evacuations.

“Initially, I had this flood of emotion about it, you know, having to evacuate. It just was hitting me, the reality of everybody having to go through this. But I do feel a lot of peace about it. I’m still trying to keep positive,” Graham said.

But the positivity also met with uncertainty, as Ian’s potential impacts remain to be seen.

“But the biggest unknown seems to be the surge. It’s one thing to predict that you’ll be adversely affected by the winds, but the surges,” Everett said.

Many of the families said they’re going to wait until at least Saturday to see what type of impact Ian leaves behind before deciding when to return to Florida.

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