FAMILY FLIES INTO FLORIDA STORM
Hitzke family headed straight for shelter
A TOOWOOMBA family has landed in the middle of Hurricane Irma, after flying to Florida for life-saving treatment.
Four years ago April Hitzke was diagnosed with interstitial lung disease after contracting the flu twice in a short period of time.
The disease causes scarring on the lungs which makes it difficult to breathe and once scarring occurs, it’s generally irreversible.
Her situation became so dire she arranged to fly to Florida for experimental treatment.
Mrs Hitzke, her husband Nathan and daughter Chloe landed in the United States on Friday, Australian time, and headed straight for a special needs shelter as their daughter needed care.
Hurricane Irma unleashed on Florida yesterday, where millions of people were ordered to evacuate their homes, leaving residents dreading what they might return to.
Florida Governor Rick Scott said the massive storm was likely to cause widespread damage and that people should stay away until officials said they could return.
Winds of more than 200kmh were recorded and it was upgraded to a Category 4 hurricane when it made landfall early on Sunday morning (6am local time, 8pm Sunday AEST).
Tornado warnings were issued for Fort Lauderdale, Coral Spring, Pompano Beach, Sunrise in Broward County and Palm Beach.
Mr Hitzke described the situation as “crazy.”
“It’s already crazy over here, highways are clogged, supermarkets constantly sell out of water, bread and milk, and fuel stations have massive lines,” he said.
“It takes nine hours to travel 60 miles.
“Some Floridians are scared, some are more confident, it’s a very interesting time to be here. Nobody knows what is going on.”