SANIBEL ISLAND (WINK) — A woman is sharing her story of riding out Hurricane Ian trapped inside her Sanibel condo as floodwaters rose around her.
Lorraine Regan stayed behind as the storm hit, watching the surge break into her home and slowly climb the stairs.
“I remember when it was hitting, like friends were texting, ‘You need to evacuate,’ and I’m like, it’s too late. I gotta ride it out,” Regan said.
As the winds picked up, the water crept higher and eventually flooded her living room.
“I could see the water, because I was on the second floor, coming up the stairs, inside the condo,” Regan said. “I kept like watch, counting it coming up the stairs.”
For hours, Regan watched the water rise and at its highest, it hit the seventh step.
“It was scary. I really thought that was kind of it,” Regan said. “I just hunkered down in a bathroom with my dog, and prayed a lot. And then the next day, walking outside, I was like, ‘Oh my God! No wonder why. I was freaking out.'”
Regan shared video of the storm surge with WINK News, showing cars going underwater outside her home.
Even after surviving the storm, Regan said the experience stayed with her.
“There’s a tendency to feel guilty that you stayed, but I didn’t stay on purpose and I would never put my family through that,” Regan said.
She said the community came together quickly once the storm passed.
“The next day, people are like, ‘How can we help? What do you need? What can we do?’ And it’s you know it’s always been that way,” Regan said. “We rebuilt better, stronger, smarter and I think we’re gonna be okay.”