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Hurricane Florence evacuees fear for safety of homes, loved ones in the Carolinas

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Evacuees are safe from the grips of Hurricane Florence in Jacksonville, but they fear their homes and loved ones in the Carolinas may be in danger.

“We had to evacuate from Hilton Head. That’s where we’re from,” said high school senior Juan Juerta.

He and his family hail from South Carolina. He says they’re suffering the agony of not knowing how their house is doing.

“Our home is at risk of getting destroyed of course. But, yeah, there’s nothing much I can do,” said.

STORY: Mother, infant among 4 dead as Hurricane Florence lashes coast 

Evacuees filtered in and out of hotel lobbies in Jacksonville. Their phones and TV screens were their only window into the lives they left behind.

With the permission of her mother, we interviewed 8-year-old Akeelah Fields from Charleston. She evacuated to Florida with her mother and older sister.

The family is taking shelter hundreds of miles away from the place they call home, and they’re thinking of this who couldn’t evacuate.

“I felt heartbroken for my family. I have uncles in places like North Carolina I have family there, I have family all around,” said 8-year-old Fields.

Many homeowners who evacuated to Jacksonville fear their homes sustained damage.

“Being away from home and not knowing what we’re going to go back to,” said Aldridge Reed, an evacuate homeowner from outside of Wilmington, North Carolina.

Reed evacuated with his three sons, wife, and other family members. He and his family will try going home Saturday but he says he fears the worst.

“Just going back to nothing! That’s the main thing,” he said.

The only means of knowing what’s happening is through social media and TV newscasts. He hopes his home, that’s filled with memories of the life he left behind, is safe.

“My home is everything. It means everything to me. I don’t know what else to say about that it’s everything,” he said.