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Weathering Irma

4 min read
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Dave Kretz boards up windows on his new Venice, Fla., home to prepare for Hurricane Irma. Dave and his wife, Debbie, moved from Eighty Four a month ago.

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Liam Kotouch and his younger brother, Colin, help their parents, Burgettstown High School graduates Ron and Marissa Kotouch, prepare their West Palm Beach, Fla., home for the approaching storm.

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Miami Dolphins linebacker Mike Hull

Living in Eighty Four, Debbie Kretz was used to snowstorms that knocked out power for days. Rain was a regular occurrence. Temperatures that drastically changed from one day to the next were no big deal.

But a 115-mile-wide storm generating a foot of rain and 100-plus-mph winds is something else entirely.

Debbie and her husband, Dave, moved from Pennsylvania to Venice, Fla., just a month ago. Living close to the ocean seemed like a great retirement plan, but the approach of Hurricane Irma dragged them from relaxing on the beach to preparing their new home for a major storm.

“We were ready to get out of the cold and come to paradise,” said Kretz. “We knew we might hit something, but maybe not so soon.”

Kretz has several family members living in Florida. Her brother, who lives in South Florida, was going to come to them. Then, the Kretzes planned to drive to their daughter’s home in Orlando. As predictions of where the storm will hit hardest changed, they decided to stay put.

At 11 a.m. Friday, Kretz said the weather was “absolutely gorgeous” and there was no evacuation order. But as people prepared for the storm, which forecasters said would arrive Saturday evening, store supplies dwindled and gas and bottled water were nowhere to be found.

The greatest concern for her region, located on the east coast of the state, is flooding.

“Venice hasn’t gotten hit in so long, but because of (Hurricane) Harvey, people are panicking,” she said. “I am cautiously optimistic. I think God will take care of it. It’s out of my control. The hardest part is the waiting. But they tell us we’ll be back on the beach by Tuesday.”

Though she relies on her faith, Kretz said she’s going to put a little stock in the folklore of her new neighbors.

“Legend is Venice is over an old Indian burial ground, so they never get hit,” said Kretz. “So we’re just hanging out, waiting and hoping the legend is true.”

One-hundred-and-fifty miles to the east, Ron and Marissa Kotouch prepared their West Palm Beach home for the hurricane.

The couple, both graduates of Burgettstown High School, has weathered five major storms since moving there in 2004. They plan to remain in their home with sons Liam, 5, and Colin, 2.

The school where Ron is athletic director, Forest Hill Community High School, has been set up as a shelter.

“Our neighborhood is tight. We help each other out,” said Ron Kotouch. “Part of the reason we don’t want to leave is that so many are staying. A lot of kids from the high school don’t have the option to leave. I want to be here to help.”

Kotouch said schools were canceled Thursday and Friday and will remain closed at least through Monday. He expects the electricity to be out for a while, so the family has stocked up on charcoal and coolers, and will use the grill for cooking.

“Eldersville doesn’t deal with hurricanes and earthquakes,” said Kotouch of his hometown. “That’s the good thing about being in Pennsylvania.

Canon-McMillan High School graduate and Miami Dolphins middle linebacker Mike Hull left his Fort Lauderdale home and returned to his parents’ Canonsburg home to wait out the storm.

The Dolphins’ regular-season opener, scheduled for Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, was postponed because of the hurricane, so Hull’s first game will be Sept. 17 in Los Angeles, Calif., against the Chargers. He’ll fly there for practice instead of returning to Florida.

Hull said the locals in his adopted town don’t get too nervous about hurricanes, but are being cautious this time around.

“Projections are showing it might actually hit. A lot of people I talked to were leaving,” he said.

Planes departing Florida were booked, so Hull battled heavy traffic Wednesday to drive to Atlanta, Ga., where he caught a flight to Pittsburgh.

“It’s our bye week anyway, since the game was rescheduled, so it’s nice to relax for the weekend,” said Hull.

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