A Scots expat living in Florida has told how he was forced to flee from his home in the midst of Hurricane Ian as alligators and sharks swarmed residential streets.
Thomas Smart, 49, managed to escape the horror storm with wife Abby and her children, fearing for their lives as severe flooding and winds are now believed to have caused significant loss of life and severe damage in the state.
The couple were later horrified to see alligators in driveways and sharks swimming in water in the streets of their Cape Coral neighbourhood after they made the heartbreaking decision to leave for the safety of their family.
Images that have emerged on social media show various sightings of the deadly animals as The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) issued a statement warning people to stay alert and steer clear.
Thomas, who is originally from Glasgow, told the Daily Record: "We were going to stay and ride it out but there were sharks swimming in the streets and alligators trying to find land so they were in peoples driveways.
"We got out in time, but we haven't been able to get in touch with my wife's family as communication is down.
"We are hearing reports of people who stayed behind and the last we heard was that the water was up to their chests.
"Families are on Facebook asking for people to go help, but there is little that can be done."
Motorcycle salesman Thomas, moved to Florida a few months ago, but wife Abby, who has two daughters aged eight and 10, is native to the area and said the 'war zone' aftermath of impact of Hurricane Ian is worse than the devastation of Hurricane Irma in 2017.
Abby added: "The first hurricane I went through was Irma and there was nowhere to run to as it covered the whole state but the damage from Ian is far more significant due to the huge storm surge that came with it and how slow moving the storm was.
"With winds at 150 mph and the flooding, it’s a war zone. There are whole communities that are just wiped off the map. Bridges collapsed and roads washed away.
"This isn’t a matter of repairing damage, it’s going to be about completely rebuilding."
With hotels in safe areas full to capacity, Thomas and Abby were forced to stay in an Air BnB for two nights - three hours away.
But when the couple returned home on Friday, they were relieved to see their house is still standing, despite needing significant repairs.
Abby continued: "We expect to be a without power for weeks so we won’t be able to work. We don’t know how we will cope financially, but we have family around and they will be in the same boat as they are mostly self employed, so we’ll stick together and hope for the best."
Thomas added: "We are fine and our faith keeps us strong and we are blessed with good families and friends."
US President Joe Biden warned that hurricane Ian could be the deadliest in the state's history as Florida officials don't yet know how many people have died.
More than 700 people have been rescued from the two worst hit areas, Charlotte and Lee Counties, so far as both are currently "off the grid" following power outages.
A massive search and rescue operation is now underway as the storm heads towards North and South Carolina.
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