GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Last week, Boyd Feltman was at his home in North Port, Florida prepping it for the fall and winter seasons. It’s where his family stays when it gets cold and snowy in Holland. However, Hurricane Ian hit. So, he was stuck.
That’s when he called FOX 17, on Wednesday September 28, and first shared his story of what was happening outside his doorstep.
“That was the beginning. You know, after that, the power went off. I kept filming my own little video journal, if you will, throughout the process about every half hour,” Feltman said from his home in Holland. “I don’t know how many times I said ‘ I don’t think it could get worse' but it seems to be getting worse.”
Feltman flew home to Holland on Monday. He joined FOX 17 for a follow-up interview about riding out Hurricane Ian.
“I was initially concerned with the wind, but what came to really be concerning was the water. Our lakes in our community started to breach the roads,” he said, adding that winds speeds reached 120 miles per hour. “Looking out the front window, the front road turned into a river. And so it was around 5:30, I don’t know, somewhere around there, it all of sudden started breaching the curb. The water started slapping over the curb.”
He said the rain was so dense at times, he couldn’t see outside. But when he did catch a glimpse, he saw trees bending over, water rushing over the streets, and tiles flying off of roofs. Inside his home, he put items on the tops of tables and there was a small leak in his guest bedroom.
“We we’re all sharing who has what in the freezer. Let’s make that tonight. Let’s have a family-style dinner for 🌭 cooking.”
— Lauren Edwards (@LaurenEdwardsTV) October 4, 2022
Holland resident shares what it was like riding our Hurricane Ian and the aftermath. // @FOX17 @producerilene pic.twitter.com/ZpaJV3kdPf
“We never got relief from the hurricane eye,” Feltman said. “I kept hearing on the radio people kept getting an hour and a half, even two hours of such a big storm-eye of relief to let out pets and all that kind of stuff. We never got a moment because we were in the eye-wall.”
Moreover, one thing he said he’ll never forget was the sound of the hurricane, which was similar to a freight train.
“If you get lightning, not right on your house, let’s say a mile, a couple of miles away, you get that loud clap and then you get the rumble,” Feltman said. “That clap and rumble, it was over six hours of that constantly. It never didn’t rumble like that.”
Around 11 p.m. that night, winds died down to about 60-70 mph, he recalled. That's when he went to sleep. However, the next day is when the clean up began.
“They say 'Florida Strong.' And, I saw Florida strong in action,” Feltman said. “It was impressive to me. You know, everybody came out right away. At least in our neighborhood I know it was that first morning just out cleaning up, making piles next to the road or where there was dry lands.”
Feltman said he saw semitrucks and utility trucks everywhere, and construction crews cleaning up the debris.
He had no power for four days, and the internet connection was spotty.
“Last I heard, 20,000 Florida power and light workers came in from so many states, you know, chipping in,” he said.
Power returned right before Feltman returned home to Holland.
He said during the clean up he didn’t see a lot of mosquitoes. So, the bug activity was low. But he did see a lot of worms and centipedes crawling on the exteriors of homes, trying to escape the floods.
“We were basically riding through the lake water on the path, and on the right about 4 foot, 5 foot from him I did see a big tail go flying in the air,” Feltman said about his bike ride with a neighbor through the area. “He had scared the alligator away. It went in the other direction. But all I saw was the flop and the splash of the alligator tail a feet from him.”
Feltman said of all he experienced, one thing he’ll remember most was the “can-do and community spirit” of his neighbors. He remembered one walking around with a power inverter or generator, helping people start their vehicles so they can use it to charge their phones and other things.
“We were all sharing our, you know, who has what in the freezer. Let’s make that tonight. Let’s have a family-style dinner for hotdog cooking. You bring this. I’ll bring that. And we’ll warm it on the grill,” he said.
That’s exactly what they did before he left.
When Feltman returned home yesterday he said his plane was half-full, and the airport wasn’t packed. A neighbor dropped him off and it only took them around an hour to get there. However, his neighbor told him it took him four hours to get back. They believe it's due to all the people returning to their homes to assess their damage and begin their own cleanup journey.
“It’s a bonafide tragedy,” Feltman said. “But, the help is there. It’s active. Family, friends, neighbors are real. And you know, people land on their feet for the most part, I hope."
