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TAMPA, Fla. (WBZ NewsRadio) — A Duxbury native and her roommates are riding out Hurricane Ian in Tampa. Erin O'Brien is a student at the University of South Florida, and says she made the decision to stay put after realizing how intense the storm has become. Ian is approaching Category 5 strength and is expected to directly hit Florida's Gulf Coast, including Fort Myers and Tampa.
"If I were to drive, by the time we knew how bad it was, I would be driving in a storm," O'Brien said. She said she's been through Nor'easters here in New England, but this is something else.
"There's been a different kind of fear, because I've never experienced a "hurricane" hurricane," she said.
More than 2.5 million people in Florida have been ordered to evacuate, but much of Tampa is under a voluntary evacuation, including O'Brien's apartment. O'Brien and her roommates have been stockpiling gas, food and water for the storm.
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