Tensions High From Florida to Connecticut as Hurricane Matthews Stays Strong

Tensions are running high for people in Florida all the way to people living in Connecticut.

Jaimee Chiat, a Trumbull native who now lives in Boynton Beach, Florida, lives about 30 miles south of Palm Beach and said part of her town was evacuated, but not her section and she decided to stay in her townhome.

"I am getting a little nervous," Jaimee Chiat told NBC Connecticut via Skype on Thursday night. "Tonight is going to be scary. This is my fourth hurricane since I’ve been down here and this is one that’s going to be most impactful."

She said there has been a lot of traffic in Boynton Beach as people tried to get all the materials they needed before the storm hit. Chiat describes grocery stores with bare aisles.

One Bloomfield resident, Lera Little said her former daughter-in-law, whom she still considers a daughter, and her two grandchildren live in Orlando and school was closed on Thursday and is closed Friday as well.

Her grandchildren said the winds had picked up and they were told they could stay in their homes, but should not go outside.

Little said she knows how dangerous hurricanes can be because she faced one while living in Jamaica.

"I went through Gilbert in 1988 the year before I came to United States to live, and I lost my entire roof. And it was extremely fearful, and that was a Category three so Category four is worse," she said.

Her former daughter-in-law is a veteran and is volunteering overnight at the VA Hospital in Orlando while Little's grandchildren and their stepfather stay at home.

She said the family has been buying items in preparation for the storm since last week and promised they'd call when it's all over.

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