Florida Family Who Lost Everything Recounts Escaping Destroyed Home During Hurricane Ian

Hurricane Ian Gutierrez family Fort Myers Beach Maribel Gutierrez

By Joel Brussels , Parent Herald Oct 01, 06:48 pm

Photo: (Photo : Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Families in the state of Florida are slowly picking up the pieces after Hurricane Ian ravaged their homes this week. One family said they lost everything after the staggering storm surge destroyed the foundation of their beloved home.

Hurricane Ian made landfall as a Category 4 storm on Wednesday afternoon over the west coast of Florida. It destroyed homes, flooded streets, and left millions without power and more than a dozen people dead.

The Gutierrez family, who hails from Fort Myers Beach, Florida, took video footage of the hurricane's damage to their home. The clip showed their belongings, furniture, and tables strewn about in muddy, high flood waters.

Gutierrez forced to leave home during the storm's onslaught

Maribel Gutierrez, the family's mom, told MSNBC that she, her husband, and their four kids held hands in a chain as they escaped their flooded home amid the rampaging hurricane in search of higher ground.

Maribel said they had to leave their residence after they felt the foundation of their home move. Soon, the walls started to come down as well. According to her, they were calm in their house until 1 p.m. They came out, more or less, at 2:30 p.m.

When the Gutierrez family opened their door, they were shocked to see 3 to 4 feet of water rushed inside their home. Maribel recalled that howling winds also met them.

She said they ran out together holding hands and came to a house with a second floor and a laundry area. She added that the water moved them left and right and sometimes lost their grip, but they were able to grab onto each other once again.

While they found safety in the two-story structure, panic later set in as the water kept coming up.

Gutierrez said God protected them during the storm

Maribel said she and her family members were crying as they waited for the storm to end. She added that the situation was ugly and horrible as their house fell and opened up. She noted that the home's foundation came up, and it all got destroyed and cut. As a result, they lost everything and were left with not one single thing.

Her daughter Liliana said that when the family walked out into the storm, she just had to focus on where they had to go and not think about what was around them. She feared for the worse at one point but had to pull herself together and get through it.

Maribel was emotional as she recalled how her son was crying during the hurricane and told her not to let him die. Despite losing their home, Maribel said God protected them as they all survived. Recovery will be difficult, though, for Floridians as nearly 2 million are still without power in the state as of Friday afternoon, and some of them still don't have water, according to CBS News.