BOSTON — While Florida gears up for Hurricane Milton, many students from Massachusetts who attend the University of Tampa had to make the tough decision to return home or stick out the storm.
The storm, coming just over a week after Hurricane Helene, made landfall Wednesday evening on the west coast of Florida.
Maximus Mattuchio, a sophomore at the University of Tampa, returned home to Tewksbury for the second time in two weeks.
“I’m like, ‘Alright, I’m out of here again,’” said Mattuchio.
His mother, Amanda, added, “I needed to get him home.”
Mattuchio returned to Tampa shortly after Helene hit.
“Just complete devastation,” he described. “Everybody’s lifelong belongings are in their front yard. You drive by a beautiful, multimillion-dollar mansion and it was burnt to the ground.”
After news of another hurricane coming, Mattuchio decided to get home as soon as he could.
With limited flights out of Tampa over the weekend, he drove with a friend and battled traffic to Orlando. He waited 12 hours to board a flight that arrived in Boston early Tuesday morning.
His mom added, “He was one of the last flights out on Monday night… We’re the lucky ones compared to everyone else.”
Other students decided to stick out the storm in Tampa this week.
Neve Sannella from Scituate is a senior at the University of Tampa, and will stay with her dog through the hurricane in her off-campus apartment.
Even though she’s removed from the coast, she is expecting to lose power for days.
She continued, “I even have a mattress in my bathroom just in case the wind does pick up really bad. My head’s next to a window… It’s really spooky to be here.”
Both students are standing by for updates from the University of Tampa on when it will kickstart its operations again.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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