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Hoosier in Florida weathers Irma

ORLANDO, Fla. (WISH) — Hoosier natives are among many who endured Hurricane Irma.

24-Hour News 8 spoke to one man who now lives in Orlando. He survived the storm, but not without being terrified in the process.

Kenny Lee teaches at Full Sail University and works for Delta Airlines. For work reasons, he could not evacuate. Lee lost power around 6 p.m. Sunday. After that, things took a turn for the worse.

“Outside my window, I heard a really loud pop. It was pitch black. There’s no power,” he said.

Through a FaceTime interview, the Hoosier native talked about surviving Irma, saying, “This is definitely the worst storm that I have ever been in.”

Lee spent the weekend helping friends and neighbors board up their windows. But he didn’t have huge concerns for his own safety.

“But around 6, we started to notice it drifting inland. Which, then, got people a little more anxious,” said Lee.

By the time Irma hit Orlando, it was a Category 2 hurricane. Disney World closed down for only the sixth time in its 45-year history. Fire departments were on lockdown.

“There was a moment where I kind of hung close to my closet just in case I needed to get into somewhere that was a little more stable when the wind was at its worst,” Lee said.

Eventually it passed. Lee gave WISH-TV a virtual tour of the aftermath. The hurricane damaged his fencing, and a tree fell onto his neighbor’s home. And, of course, debris covered the ground. Fortunately Lee says no injuries in his area were reported.

“Luckily I have enough stuff outside to do that will maybe keep me from getting crazy sitting in the house with no power,” said Lee.

Many cities issued curfews, including Orlando. Residents were not allowed on the roads during certain times.

Lee isn’t sure when his power will be restored, but has plans to stay elsewhere if needed.