Having a hurricane on his doorstep was a new experience for out-of-state UF freshman Reid Kizer, who moved to Gainesville from Austin, Texas.
“I went to the store, and I got a bunch of nonperishable items,” Kizer, an 18-year-old electrical engineering student, said. “Tuna, peanut butter, nuts, dried fruit — that sort of thing.”
Despite the unknown of an impending storm, he said he was “not super nervous about [Helene],” because his apartment is on the second floor and his roommate is a native Floridian.
“[My roommate] gave me a ton of very helpful advice,” Kizer said. “It is very nice to have him here, because for a second I thought he was gonna leave, too, and I would be alone in an apartment my first time experiencing a hurricane.”
Another out-of-state Gator, Natalie Cadow, an 18-year old UF biochemistry freshman from Los Angeles, said she felt unconcerned as she followed news reports and tuned into university announcements.
“I feel like the news kind of downplayed how much damage would actually happen with this hurricane, especially because classes on Friday weren’t canceled until really late,” Cadow said.
Despite being away from family, Cadow said her parents and aunts were checking up on her often enough that she didn’t feel isolated.
Cadow’s father is a Floridan by birth and was able to advise her on what to do, helping her feel in control of the situation.
Carmen Antequera, an 18-year-old UF animal science and business administration freshman from Clearwater, said while the storm was fairly mild in Gainesville, she was concerned for friends and family back home.
“All my friends’ couches are floating in their living rooms, and cars have been blowing up and transformers have been blowing up, so there’s fire everywhere,” Antequera said.
She said she was especially worried for her mom because both she and her brother are out of the house this year, meaning she lives alone.
Additionally, her mother recently underwent spinal surgery, making mobility even more difficult for her.
While Antequera slept through the hurricane, she said she would have rather been in Clearwater to help her mom and friends.
“Normally, when it gets like this, I paddle out and see if anyone needs help, and I literally feel so helpless not being able to go,” she said.
Christina Lee, an 18-year-old UF biology freshman from Parkland, said her preparations for the hurricane looked largely the same as what she would normally do at home.
“The only difference was that, instead of being with my family in a safe spot in our house, I was huddled in my bathroom in my apartment,” something Lee said she used as a time for self-reflection.
Contact Avery Parker at aparker@alligator.org. Follow him on X @AveryParke98398.
Avery Parker is a third-year English and History major covering university affairs for The Alligator. Outside of reporting, Avery spends his time doting on his cats, reading, and listening to music by the Manwolves.
