A tourist who stayed put during Hurricane Ian witnessed water filling the house she was living in in dread from the second floor.

In Fort Meyers Beach, Rachel Jeter was on vacation with her family.

[{"selector":"#anim-336ae18d-3ecf-4c93-8ce7-8742c02ec598","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-815462d0-0cf6-44ff-856f-a55815606bbe","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-113.58024%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-f3422bd9-855b-449a-a6fc-6e732691b1ea [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(-20.900483862759963%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}]

On Thursday, Hurricane Ian tore across Florida as a Category 4 storm.

[{"selector":"#anim-781b8b7e-9275-4ba8-8ecb-93b759a72715","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-9fcad4cc-9448-4720-b6ac-38538b3a8580","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, -164.29466%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-aedf054c-8388-4e5e-91c8-a850a38349c5 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-23.030628262523525%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}]

She described to Insider how it felt to weather the storm in their beachfront property.

[{"selector":"#anim-375d25ba-993e-46b6-8e43-db01f7307fc2","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-fcfab633-2551-4536-b266-88311bef9c1f","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 148.08591%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-31b61304-0f77-472c-b8c1-cbb9095e7eb2 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(12.46985507773478%, 0, 0) translate(25%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0) translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.14,.34,.47,.9)","fill":"forwards"}]

On Friday, Rachel Jeter was slated to celebrate her 40th birthday.

[{"selector":"#anim-b5a691f4-ffc5-46fb-a6b0-eb8c1a6e8c5c","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-f374e3ee-1db9-41a1-9e38-4c42b38e82e7","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(113.58024%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-c204fe37-22e7-4d03-ba0a-ec2a10ec1336 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(25.571221240220947%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}]

Rather, she was staying at a hotel than she had intended to, travelling two hours across the state in an Uber to Fort Lauderdale,

[{"selector":"#anim-a0654272-4555-4154-a53c-0ed88bc61d94","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-39ca80d6-3bc7-4585-8d14-30e180f008d2","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, -140.01554%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-525fe27f-d4e9-4236-9b93-22304e4e1f4e [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(12.499999772451451%, 0, 0) translate(25%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0) translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.14,.34,.47,.9)","fill":"forwards"}]

which was the only location where she could hire a vehicle to return to Tennessee.

[{"selector":"#anim-671b2ed5-88d1-4b8b-89d8-0dcf3c30f4f0","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-109.63855%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":1500,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-8c18cda4-e31d-4e48-891a-908047d02355","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":1500,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-c44c7a70-3440-4239-87fe-f3298e48ad01","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(0.15)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":1500,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-ee3475d6-63ac-47ab-9189-50febdbf26cb [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(0%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}]

Her family spent a couple days in the sun and sand in Fort Myers Beach after arriving on Saturday.

[{"selector":"#anim-ca779682-ea53-4e20-91b3-f922099c4ba9","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(116.39871%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":1500,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-c86ad15b-a958-40b0-b549-4891b0762c8d","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":1500,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-1c9926ae-2b94-4a96-b989-e69551b9e92c","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(0.15)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":1500,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-dcdda7e3-7dd8-4732-bbe4-fe97f1c3de4a [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(12.46985507773478%, 0, 0) translate(25%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0) translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.14,.34,.47,.9)","fill":"forwards"}]

But as the days went on, state and local authorities started informing residents that a hurricane was coming.

[{"selector":"#anim-678c87d5-30f8-4fca-ac5f-37fe35d96196","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-871327ba-530f-4ce2-adc9-4bb86aca0b12","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(112.34567%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-c5ebab8a-9cb2-4df3-8e97-628ab4ec8efd [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(42.36441336807159%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}]

Click here to see more stories

[{"selector":"#anim-e5584157-277e-4f25-b9b2-148fc8961c90 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(28.855298784738252%, 0, 0) translate(25%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0) translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.14,.34,.47,.9)","fill":"forwards"}]