Fort Lauderdale family evacuates to Naples, returns home after storm threatens to hit Gulf coast

MIRAMAR, Fla. – A Fort Lauderdale family returned to South Florida overnight after Hurricane Irma's projected path shifted slightly west toward the Gulf coast.

"We evacuated. We went to Naples, and then we found out that the hurricane is coming to Naples, so we came back down last night, this morning, and now we're here," A'Onne said.

A'Onne, her mother and her two brothers spoke to Local 10 News reporter Erica Rakow early Saturday as they waited to get inside Coconut Palms Elementary School in Miramar.

The school opened as a shelter Friday morning because only a few shelters at the time had space for more people.

A'Onne said her family decided it was safest to stay at the shelter because the place where they were staying in Naples was close to the water.

Coconut Palms Elementary School at 13601 Monarch Lakes Blvd. holds 350 people.

By 6:30 a.m., there were only a few people lined up outside the school so the shelter still had plenty of room left.

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