Ex-Valley residents OK after Hurricane Irma

As Irma weakened to a tropical storm Monday and left Florida, ex-Mahoning Valley residents living in the Sunshine State were able to get out and assess the damage in their neighborhoods.

Mike Braun, a former reporter and page designer for The Vindicator who now is a reporter for the News-Press in Fort Myers, Fla., said more traffic was on the road Monday afternoon than Monday morning.

There was, however, significant damage. Both Lee and Collier counties had significant levels of flooding throughout, and Braun said he observed lots of trees on the ground. Most of the area was without power.

Once the storm turned east and weakened to Category 2, former Youngstown police officer Dan Mikus and his fiancee went to sleep in their Parrish, Fla., home, despite the howling winds.

They were exhausted from preparing for the worst, Mikus said.

When they woke up, they had emerged relatively unscathed in their community, which is 40 miles southeast of Tampa.

For the complete story, read Tuesday's Vindicator and Vindy.com