Former Youngstowner weathering Matthew from his new Florida home

Staff/wire report

YOUNGSTOWN

While local Chief Meteorologist Eric Wilhelm says Hurricane Matthew will have no impact on the Mahoning Valley, people here are still concerned about the impact on the states where they have friends and family.

Rick Toman is a Youngstown native who moved to Melbourne, Fla., in early September. He and his wife traveled south to Palm Bay to weather the hurricane with his wife’s family.

“We’re in a pretty big house that was built with storm shutters and concrete block, so I think we’re in a pretty good position to wait out the storm,” Toman said.

Toman was a critical care nurse at St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital before moving to Florida to join a nurse anesthesia program. His wife works at a hospital in Melbourne, Fla., as a licensed counselor, and is scheduled to be at work Saturday to help deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew.

At 5 p.m. Thursday, Hurricane Matthew was still 100 miles southeast of the Florida coast. Toman described the neighborhood near his sister-in-law’s house in Palm Bay as calm, noting that children were still playing outside despite the darkening skies and light sprinkle of rain. He said he could still hear the raps of hammers against plywood in the distance as his neighbors made their final preparations.

Though Toman’s in-laws are veterans of prior hurricanes — including Hurricane Jeanne in 2004 — Matthew is Toman’s first major hurricane.

“I’m actually really missing Ohio right now. It was bad enough leaving right at the beginning of fall and missing the season change, but to have to deal with a hurricane on top of it right after moving is doubly disappointing,” he said.

Florida’s humid weather gave Toman more cause for worry than the ferocity of the storm itself; he knew if the power went down, the air conditioning goes as well. Veterans of prior hurricanes warned Toman that coupling the hot and muggy conditions with a lack of light and limited options to distract from the storm, things could get uncomfortable quickly.

Read more reaction from former residents and the latest on the storm in Friday's Vindicator and on VIndy.com.