Hartford couple travels back from Orlando before Hurricane Milton makes landfall

“I was born and raised in Florida, and I have family in multiple parts of Florida that I definitely think about and care about,” said Sarah Lindemulder, of Hartford. 

Sarah and Mark Lindemulder lived in Orlando, Florida until last year when they decided to move to Hartford. 

“Going through the Hurricane and the heat and really just overall wanting a change, kind of the quick version of our story,” Mark Lindemulder said. 

They were in Florida for a family wedding and vacation. Their plans to stay until Thursday were cut short by Hurricane Milton. The couple was left scrambling after their flight was canceled. 

“The routes they offered as alternatives just looked really kind of iffy, saying nothing going out of Orlando,” Mark added. 

Thankfully, Mark’s sister offered to drive them to North Carolina overnight and then the couple plans to take a flight Wednesday back to Connecticut. But the Lindemulder’s are leaving with heavy hearts. 

“This storm is being compared to Hurricane Charley, which I was also here for and that did so much damage to Orlando and it left a lot of people just kind of stranded from their home and it was quite devastating,” Sarah said. “It does weigh on you a bit, but we just have hope and faith that everything goes okay and that they are safe.”

Meanwhile, Stamford-based Americares is prepared to respond to Milton. The health-focused organization is reaching out to 110 partner clinics in Florida to help deliver medicine, relief supplies, and emergency funding. 

“Anything that they need to help reopen their doors to ensure their communities are able to access healthcare after the storm has passed,” said Americares U.S. Director of Emergency Response Mariel Fonteyn. 

Emergency response teams will head to Florida once the storm passes. This is the second hurricane crews have responded to in two weeks. Right now, several teams are across the southeast helping in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. 

“Turning around and increasing our support for Hurricane Milton, our hearts go out to the people of Florida who are dealing with this again,” Fonteyn added. 

More information on how you can donate to Americares is available here.