People at a Holiday Inn in Plant City, Florida, east of Tampa, got pinned in by floodwaters overnight, shocking locals who’ve never seen the water get so high, so far inland.
Coleman rode out Hurricane Milton along with hotel guests and her 77-year-old mother, Patricia Meier.
“When the water started coming in, that’s when it really got to the best of us,” Meier said.
Coleman sent ground-level guests to a higher floor as water got a foot deep inside the lobby. “We just had to pull together and make sure everybody was safe,” she said.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office used amphibious vehicles to get people out of the hotel, including lifelong Plant city residents Jack and Liz Gibbs. They have taken refuge at the Holiday Inn for past hurricanes, but this time water breached their room.
“It was about an inch or two, and she said, ‘We’ve got to do something,’” Jack Gibbs said.
By the time they got to the lobby, Gibbs said the water was nearly knee-deep, and they were relieved when they saw rescuers.
“It was scary, but praise God,” Liz Gibbs said.
No one was injured, but the manager admits she was still shaken by the damage.
“I always tried to treat this (hotel) like it’s mine, so to see this – it’s hard,” said Coleman, wiping away tears.
