Hurricane Dorian: Florida woman wraps home in plastic to protect from flooding as storm approaches

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Hurricanes Matthew and Irma brought devastating flooding to parts of Jacksonville, and many residents rebuilt their homes on stilts. As Hurricane Dorian approaches, though, some residents are taking unique precautions to protect their property.

In an interview with Jacksonville television station WJAX, Brittany Vidal explained how she wrapped her home with 6-millimeter plastic secured with duct tape and nearly 300 sandbags.

Vidal’s home flooded during both Matthew and Irma. She’s considering raising the house but is trying the plastic wrap for now.

“Hopefully our barricade will do something for us this year,” Vidal said.

Vidal lives in what is considered Zone A, which along with Zone B houses close to 149,000 people who were asked to evacuate ahead of the storm. Vidal said she plans to stay put for the time being.

Dorian unleashed massive flooding across the Bahamas on Monday, pummeling the islands with so much wind and water that authorities urged people to find floatation devices and grab hammers to break out of their attics if necessary. The fearsome Category 4 storm slowed almost to a standstill as it shredded roofs, hurled cars and forced even rescue crews to take shelter until the onslaught passed.

Meanwhile, in the United States, the National Hurricane Center extended watches and warnings across the Florida and Georgia coasts. Forecasters expected Dorian to stay off shore, but meteorologist Daniel Brown cautioned that “only a small deviation” could draw the storm’s dangerous core toward land.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.