OTTAWA COUNTY, Mich. — Hurricane Milton is eyeing Florida, and experts predict it will make landfall on Wednesday.
Jeanne O'Brien has been paying attention to this hurricane because her second home is near where the storm is expected to hit.
O'Brien has many memories from her decades spent in the Sunshine State.
"I think my favorite memory would just always be when the grandchildren come and the great-grandchildren come," O'Brien added.
O'Brien has family photos all around her living room. Nestled high above her fireplace mantel is a picture book filled with family photos on Sanibel Island, down on the beach.
"When my husband and I retired, we just knew we wanted to go someplace where it was warm and someplace where there was water," O'Brien said.
This isn't the first hurricane that she has dealt with while having a place on the island. O'Brien dealt with Ian in 2022 and then Helene more recently.
"Hurricane Ian destroyed my home a couple of years ago," O'Brien said. "The hurricane, just a few weeks ago, destroyed the electricity in my [destination] trailer."
O'Brien is now watching to see what Hurricane Milton will do.
"What's going through my mind mostly right now is that eventually, I don't think I can stay on Sanibel, because it's too costly. The damage is too costly," O'Brien said.
Many in West Michigan are finding themselves in the same spot with O'Brien.
"It's becoming more expensive, higher deductibles, because unfortunately, the world is changing. Our weather patterns are changing," Flees Agency Farm Bureau Owner Jamie Flees said.
Flees has been in the insurance agency for years, covering natural disasters.
"I have been working along with many, many clients, trying to help them rebuild their home, from the siding to the roof to the inside to the damage to everything that was destroyed in the tornado here in Portage back in May," Flees said.
The insurance agency owner explains that people should have records of what they own.
"You want to take pictures and make phone calls. Know your agent's number; know the claims number," Flees added.
As these parade of hurricanes continue to pound Florida, O’Brien says she’s learned to live by one motto.
"My thought to keep myself calm until I know what's going on is to let go and let God," she said.
O'Brien had already scheduled her insurance agency to look at the damage from Helene. She added they are supposed to be out there later this week after Milton makes landfall.
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