Many folks in Florida were still coping with the effects of Hurricane Helene when Milton came rolling in — and that includes a family from upstate New York.

What You Need To Know

  • Upstate New York family moves away from snow and tangles with two hurricanes

  • Amber and Glenn Schworms evacuated their home with their two children, dog and two cats

  • The Schworms plan to repair damages and remain in Florida

Glenn and Amber Schworm decided to move to Florida, away from the hassles of the winter snow, but have just had to tangle with two back-to-back hurricanes.

“When Helene came, it was kind of a surprise to everybody,” said Amber. “None of our neighbors evacuated. Nobody even moved their cars to higher ground. Even the long time Floridians were like, ‘that's not even coming at us. What are we worried about?’ And it was probably the biggest surge that our area has had in over 100 years.”

The couple and their two young children did not evacuate then but did pack up the car along with their dog and two cats as Milton was barreling in their direction.

“Right before the hurricane, the sheriff drove through our neighborhood with a bullhorn with a recording saying, ‘if you choose to stay, no one is coming to help you. So, this is a mandatory evacuation if you choose to stay. No one's coming to help you,’” said Glenn. “And the other thing that made it very real was a sheriff down here got online and on TV and said, ‘if you choose to stay during the storm, I want you to go get a [marker] and write your name, your Social Security number, and your date of birth on your arm so we can identify the body.’ And that made it like, ‘OK, let's get in the car. Let's get out of here.’” 

“Even the hardcore Floridians that have lived here all their life left for this one,” added Amber. “It was a mad exodus, evacuation.”

The Schworms moved south just three years ago. They’re accustomed to snowstorms, not hurricanes and tropical storms.

“For us, living for 50-plus years in upstate New York, born and brought up there in the Capital Region, I was used to, you know, snowstorms,” said Glenn. “A hurricane is more life-threatening and you can lose all your possessions, like, overnight and have to rebuild where it doesn't really happen in a snowstorm, right? So that's the different comparison.”

He was able to visit their home and found the damage to be minimal. They know they are among the lucky ones. Their business, Signature Home Buyers, is still located in the Capital Region. They are donating to help others affected by the storms. 

“Our heart goes out to you. Obviously, we'll do whatever we can to help,” said Amber. “We converted a lot of our Airbnbs in New York back to long-term rentals, and we had a lot of leftover stuff from those. And we actually made a donation to Hurricane Helene.”

The family remains without power and their beachfront home did not flood. They remain at an Orlando hotel for a couple more days until they return to start the cleanup.

As for returning to upstate New York after this double storm experience? The Schworms say, despite the hurricanes, they plan to stay put and have no intention of returning to the cold and snowy winters back here.