‘It was horrifying’: Watch as Florida man rides out Hurricane Ian in his boat
Hurricane Ian slammed into the Fort Myers area last week with catastrophic 150-mph winds.
'It was horrifying': Man rides out Hurricane Ian in his sailboat
FOX Weather's Max Gorden spoke to a man who rode out Hurricane Ian in his sailboat along with his cat.
FORT MYERS, Fla. – A man and his cat rode out the fury of Hurricane Ian last week in his sailboat, which was his home before the storm.
Ian was a monstrous Category 4 hurricane with 150-mph winds when it slammed into Southwest Florida on Sept. 28. The terrible winds pushed ashore feet of water from the Gulf of Mexico as it made landfall. Widespread destruction was left behind.
Ron Latta, of Fort Myers, said he had been living in his 32-foot boat named "Lattatude" for four years, and decided to stay with his home.
"You don’t leave your boat," Latta told FOX Weather correspondent Max Gorden on Monday. "I mean, it’s all I have."
Latta said he knew things were getting bad about 10 a.m. the day of landfall as the wind and storm surge increased. By that point, it was too late for Latta to make it to shore.
"It was horrifying," he said. "It really was. It lasted like 12-14 hours."
IAN TOSSES BOATS AROUND LIKE ‘TINKERTOYS’ AT FORT MYERS MARINA
Florida man rides out Hurricane Ian in his boat
Ron Latta rode out the fury of Hurricane Ian in his boat.
Latta said he believes the eye of Ian never passed over his location, meaning he survived the storm’s eyewall – where the worst weather of a hurricane typically occurs. He said winds were 40-50 mph at one point before jumping to near 150 mph. He said he was forced to shove off from a building to prevent his boat from being destroyed.
"I’m glad I was here because if I wasn’t on the boat, I would’ve lost my boat," he said.
The boat finally settled in a stand of mangroves. Latta said a crane is arriving soon to hoist his boat of the trees.
WATCH: WATER BURSTS THROUGH DOOR IN NAPLES DURING HURRICANE IAN
![Man rode out Hurricane Ian in sailboat]()
Image 1 of 5Ron Latta (left) shows FOX Weather's Max Gorden (right) how high the water got during Hurricane Ian by showing where his boat scraped trees in Fort Myers, Florida, on Oct. 3, 2022. ( )
![Man rode out Hurricane Ian in sailboat]()
Image 2 of 5Ron Latta looks at his boat that was beached in a stand of mangroves by Hurricane Ian in Fort Myers, Florida, on Oct. 3, 2022. ( )
![Man rode out Hurricane Ian in sailboat]()
Image 3 of 5Ron Latta looks over his boat that was beached by Hurricane Ian in a stand of mangroves in Fort Myers, Florida, on Oct. 3, 2022. ( )
![Man rode out Hurricane Ian in sailboat]()
Image 4 of 5Ron Latta's boat is seen in a stand of magroves in Fort Myers, Florida, on Oct. 3, 2022. ( )
![Man rode out Hurricane Ian in sailboat]()
Image 5 of 5Ron Latta's boat is seen in a stand of magroves in Fort Myers, Florida, on Oct. 3, 2022. ( )
Latta said a person would be crazy to not be scared in that situation, and he’s thinking about finding a place to live on land now.
"I’m not living on my boat, no more," he said.
The cat slept through most of the storm, Latta said.