TAMPA, Fla. — "I haven't been able to sleep," Niadu Allen said.
Allen was gearing up for possibly even more sleepless nights as Hurricane Milton pounded Florida Wednesday evening.
"I can hear the howling of the strong wind. It's like the rain is just beating against the building," Allen said.
Last Wednesday, the grandmother and her four grandchildren moved to Riverview, Florida, from St. Louis. It's about 23 miles outside of Tampa.
The children's 29-year-old mom, Johnesia Murry, was killed in a murder-suicide in north St. Louis County three years go. Their grandma became their legal guardian.
"I did this all for the children. I just wanted to move them to a different area so they could get a better education and get away from the memory of living that tragedy," Allen said.
Now, after just days of moving to the Sunshine State, Allen, her grandchildren and three of her friends have all temporarily hunkered down at a mutual friend's three-story home in nearby Lithia, Florida. The other families are also originally from St. Louis.
"Thankfully, our area has not had to evacuate at this time," Allen said.
Still, they are taking precautions.
Hurricane Milton made landfall Wednesday evening, packing a catastrophic storm surge.
"We have pretty much secluded this house that we're in. We got sandbags don, towels, taped everything that you can name. Shutters over the window. I've never experienced a hurricane and it is definitely different being in the midst of it," said the grandmother.
It's certainly not the warm welcome she expected.
"Right now, I'm not scared. I'm just glad we are prepared. I'm also glad we still made the transition here to Florida. I'm waiting to see the aftermath from the storm. We're ready just in case. I just pray that there are no fatalities and that everybody is safe," Allen said.
Allen said they've also mapped out an escape plan just in case the hurricane floods or causes major damage to their neighborhood.