MALVERN, Iowa (KMTV) — Lacey Jackson grew up in Mills County, but recently moved to the Tampa area, right in the path of Hurricane Milton. The 23-year-old is staying with friends, just outside the mandatory evacuation zone, and hunkering down as the storm approaches. Her parents have to watch it unfold from Iowa.
- "Since we’ve never experienced a hurricane, we’re learning through this experience with her,” said Holly Jackson at her dining room table.
- “As a mom you want to go, you want to fix it you want to be there, but I think the positive is that we are from a very strong community that is very closely knit. And we have received a lot of messages and phone calls,” Holly said.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Countless Iowans and Nebraskans have loved ones in the path of Hurricane Milton. I’m Southwest Iowa Neighborhood Reporter Katrina Markel. I’m in Malvern where it’s a beautiful day but inside, Holly Jackson is worried about her oldest daughter Lacey who moved to Tampa only a few months ago.
"Since we’ve never experienced a hurricane, we’re learning through this experience with her,” said Holly Jackson at her dining room table.
Holly and Jonathan Jackson have four kids and a menagerie of pets. Their oldest, Lacey, moved to Tampa in May. A new adventure for the 23-year-old.
Holly: “She’s a smart girl. She’ll be okay.”
Almost six million people live in the Florida counties under mandatory evacuation. More than three million are in the Tampa Bay area. Lacey’s outside the mandatory evacuation zone and is staying with friends.
We were supposed to talk on Zoom Wednesday, but she felt like the storm was coming too fast to waste time, and battery power, talking to me.
“We tried to put together a care package and get it down there in time and it just didn’t make it in time,” her mom said.
The Jacksons also considered flying Lacey home, but it was too late to get a flight. There’s only so much Mom can do but community support is comforting.
“As a mom you want to go, you want to fix it you want to be there, but I think the positive is that we are from a very strong community that is very closely knit. And we have received a lot of messages and phone calls,” Holly said.
Lacey won’t be going through the storm alone and her mom thinks some of the experience she had with floods and tornadoes in Iowa will at least help her get through this disaster.
