Far from Dorian, people enjoy Labor Day weekend on Fort Myers Beach

Farther north, wind and cloudy skies are also driving people indoors on Fort Myers Beach. But that was not the case a couple of hours ago. Beachgoers soaked up the sun, enjoying their Labor Day weekend.

People on Fort Myers Beach appreciate their good fortune. While they were enjoying a day on the sand, beaches across the east coast of Florida were empty in advance of Hurricane Dorian.

There were no crazy crowds on the island like you might expect for a holiday weekend. However, people there said it was what they needed after spending a week watching Dorian bear down onto Florida.

While they are glad we lucked out, they are now praying for people on the other side of the state. That includes Linda Mckinney, whose first big storm was Hurricane Irma and she was petrified.

“You wouldn’t have caught me at the beach, you know, I wouldn’t come out of my porch,” Mckinney said. “The people on the other side, I’m really scared for them.”

David Teeters said his heart goes out to people living on the east coast of Florida.

“I went through [Hurricane] Andrew in ’92,” Teeters added. “I know what they’re going through.”

The Lani Kai told WINK News it has many people from the east coast of Florida staying with them right now. We also spoke with people from up north who were considering canceling their trips because of Dorian, including Elaine Legault, who is from Massachusetts. But said now, they are glad they did not.

“If we have to stay longer, we stay longer,” Legault said. “We get to spend more times with our friends.”