"It's just frightening:" Former Wisconsin woman waiting out Hurricane Irma in Florida

Hurricane Irma

MILWAUKEE -- While millions of people who live along the Florida coast have been ordered to evacuate as Hurricane Irma rotates closer, those further inland are staying put. One Florida resident from southeastern Wisconsin is preparing for the disaster ahead.

Outside Karole Gundersen-Scott's house in Coco, Florida, windows are boarded up.

Karole Gundersen-Scott

"We did that with plywood, and we bought a generator," said Karole.

Inside, patio furniture now covers Karole's living room couch.

"Better a mess in the house than outside, ruining things," said Karole.

Karole and her husband live far enough inland that they don't need to evacuate their homes as Irma narrows in. But the couple does anticipate 100 miles-per-hour winds and flooding in their neighborhood. The severe weather is expected to hit Sunday afternoon.

"We have a lot of water, a lot of food, some wine. I think there will be a lot of trees down. I think power lines will get snapped because they're all above ground. I don't know. I hope no one gets hurt," Karole said.

Calling from her property, located about 40 miles east of Orlando, the Plymouth, Wisconsin, native  -- who is also FOX6's Madeline Anderson's aunt -- says event after 20 years in the south, she's still amazed by the strength of the tropical storms.

"It's different. It's definitely a different world. Different geography and weather," Karole said.

Karole experienced a hurricane 12 years ago. While she's better prepared for disaster this time, she fears the damage will be worse.

"Because it's so powerful, and it's so big, and it's going over warm water in the Gulf which will fuel it," said Karole. "It's just frightening because you don't really know."

Karole says while hopes in Florida don't typically have basements, they are required to have roofs that can withstand winds up to 175 miles-per-hour.

Hurricane Irma