CINCINNATI (WKRC) - It was a long night waiting out Hurricane Ian, and it has been a long day of cleanup for so many people, including Ohioans who also live in Florida.
Destruction is widespread. Chunks of roads are gone. Boats are piled up like toy cars. Millions are without power.
"We’re starting to hook up the generator,” said Kimberly Stappaerts.
Stappaerts is a resident of Evendale. Thursday, she assessed the damage to her Sarasota home after hurricane winds hammered it all night.
"It was a really rough night. We slept a couple of hours. We finally got up at 6 a.m., worked on the house and the damage and we’ve been working ever since,” said Stappaerts.
Thankfully, everyone is alright. There was just some structural damage and a lot of debris.
"It was completely nerve-racking," Stappaerts said. "We felt comfortable because we had hurricane shutters, but otherwise, things bouncing off the house, shingles all over the yard."
About an hour-and-a-half north, on Treasure Island, Mason resident Heather Martin is back in her Florida home.
"We left here preparing for the absolute worst," said Martin.
Martin went inland ahead of the storm to stay with her boyfriend’s parents.. The winds were strong there, too, as she took a video of the patio being torn apart.
Back at her complex, she says there’s minor damage.
"A lot of flooding, a lot of downed trees, traffic lights are out,” said Martin. “In one respect, we really dodged a bullet, dodged a catastrophe. My heart bleeds for those impacted in the southern part of the state."
Working to restore power are nearly 800 Duke Energy workers from the Tri-State.
"Conditions here been pretty miserable, as you can imagine, since yesterday,” said Duke Energy communications manager Sally Thelen.
Working mostly in Tampa Bay, St. Petersburg, and Orlando, Duke crews are just beginning their efforts.
"As I drove around this afternoon, it was astounding to see it," Thelen said. "When you drive down the road and look over, you can see water halfway up doors in the strip mall."
This isn't the first time Duke crews have traveled to help after disasters. The company even went to Puerto Rico a few years earlier after a hurricane.
But back in July, when a tornado ripped through Goshen, crews from Florida and South Carolina came here to help. It's about aid, but also making sure recovery happens fast.
“We were able to bring up resources from Florida, from Carolina Duke. Then, I’ll pitch in when we really needed it for how significant that storm was,” said Thelen.
Other Tri-State organizations in Florida right now include The Red Cross and Ohio Task Force One.