Estill County couple in Florida react to approaching hurricane

CLEARWATER, FL (WTVQ) – Kenny and Alice Brakefield, of Irvine, booked their once in a lifetime dream vacation to Clearwater, Florida two months ago.  Even when they arrived last Sunday, they had no idea they would be in the potential path of Hurricane Irma.

Alice Brakefield says she’s seen the long lines for water and supplies and that it became hard to find even a single bottle of water on a store shelf.

She says the staff at the hotel where she and her husband are staying started sandbagging at the front of the hotel and bringing in deck chairs and related items.  She says seeing that made it real and a little scary for her and the hotel staff who live and work in Clearwater.

She says they saw the U.S. Coast Guard practicing maneuvers in the water in preparation for what could potentially happen by the weekend if the monster storm follows its projected path.

She says the weather has been beautiful, which made it harder to even fathom that a destructive hurricane could roar through in just a matter of days.

She says you can tell that the locals are betting more and more concerned as the storm approaches, despite no clear picture yet of where it is most likely to hit.

The Brakefield’s are scheduled to fly home to Kentucky on Thursday.  Alice Brakefield says she feels both guilty and relieved that she’s leaving.