ORLANDO, Fla. – Families across Florida are still picking up the pieces after Hurricane Ian and Hurricane Nicole lashed our state.
During both storms News 6 Meteorologist Candace Campos helped guide viewers through how to prepare and what to expect as they made landfall.
It’s a job she takes very seriously and one she says she knew she wanted to pursue since she was 5 years old.
“I was the only 5-year-old in my kindergarten class that knew exactly what I wanted to do. The first thing I did is I learned how to spell meteorologist,” Campos said.
She said it all started in 1992. Her family was shopping for school supplies, there was chatter a hurricane was approaching South Florida, but it was not forecasted to impact her community.
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That all changed during the overnight hours. “By about one in the morning... that is when they woke up to see that the forecast change had shifted,” she said.
Campos says she and her family rode out the storm in a half bathroom as it tore apart their home.
“The security alarm went off, the front door gave in,” and her parents prepared for the worst, Campos said. “They actually said goodbye to each other, they prayed that I would fall asleep and that God forbid if something happened, I wouldn’t feel it.”
“There was no more home, it was gone,” Campos added. “Thankfully everybody was OK, and our safe room saved our lives.”
Campos said it was the voice on the radio, giving a play-by-play of what to expect during that storm that made her want to pursue a career as a meteorologist.
“I wanted to be that person, that calming voice, that voice of information, not to scare you, but to comfort you and to walk you through whatever may come our way,” she said.
Hear more from Campos about how Hurricane Andrew inspired her career, the safe rooms she prepares for her young daughters during hurricane season, and the pride she has in informing her community during hurricane season and all year long on Talk to Tom.
You can watch Talk to Tom Thursdays on News 6 at 5:30 p.m. or anytime on News 6+.
You can listen to every episode of Florida’s Fourth Estate in the media player below: