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Hurricane Ian evacuees find refuge in Atlanta

Many who fled Hurricane Ian have come to take refuge right here in Atlanta. Looking at the devastation of their homes, they have no idea how long they'll be gone.

ATLANTA — Comfort comes in many forms after a storm.

The taste of a good meal, or the feel of finally getting clean. 

For Angela Yoder, comfort was seeing her family was safe. 

"We're very very thankful that they're all OK, but it's still so sad to see so much destruction," she said. 

The Yoders live in Atlanta now, but called Cape Coral home for five years. Her extended family still does, and chose to stay and ride out the monstrous storm, Hurricane Ian

"It scared me the most when I went to sleep and then woke up and it was silent, and it was like, 'what am I going to expect walking outside,'" described 17-year-old Melanie Baird.

She says her home is damaged, but still standing. But, her neighborhood is a mess.

"I felt really selfish for leaving," she said. "I felt like that the whole way up, but I just couldn't be there. It was full of sadness and destruction."

She drove 10 hours to get to the Yoder's home to be with family and away from the destruction left by the storm. 

"So we will just continue to pray for people who are there," Yoder said. "People have said they can feel our prayers."

And they hope they can all take some comfort in that. 

"Everyone we talked to said, 'but we are safe. We're safe. We're safe. And that's what matters."

Many people, like the Yoders' family members, who fled the destruction of Hurricane Ian have come to take refuge right here in Atlanta. And looking at the devastation of their home towns, they have no idea how long they'll be gone.

Neither do the Yoders' family members. But the Yoder family says they're welcome to stay as long as they need, even though they're all anxious to get back home and do whatever they can to help. 

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