As Hurricane Matthew Barrels Toward Florida, North Fork Family 'Living on Prayers'

It's been just about a year since Cristin Tamburello, her husband Pete, and daughters, Ava, 7, and Julie, 5, moved from Mattituck to their new home in Vero Beach, Florida.

And now, as reports indicate that as Hurricane Matthew barrels onward, it could bring "potentially disastrous impacts for Florida" after the deadly storm finishes a trek through the Bahamas, according to the National Hurricane Center, the Tamburello family, and so many others in Florida, are preparing to face a weather event unlike anything they've likely ever experienced. The storm easily regained its Category 4 status Thursday morning and was holding strong in the afternoon with 140 mph maximum sustained winds.

Cristin Tamburello said thankfully, their home is located inland, and evacuations from their community are voluntary, not mandatory. They are not located in a flood zone, and are sited about seven miles from the barrier islands, she said.

And yet, fear kept Cristin awake Wednesday night.

"I honestly really just have no words. I've never been more scared in my life," she said.

The Tamburellos spent three days securing their home, she said.

"My kids have no idea how bad this storm is going to be because I don't want to scare them. We're just living on prayers right now," she said.

Reassuring, Tamburello said, is the fact that their home is "brand-new," and "solid," boarded up with hurricane shutters.

Her community came together to help them secure the shutters; her neighbors are also staying put and standing strong as Hurricane Matthew heads toward Florida.

On Thursday, she said, rain was falling in her neighborhood, "the calm before the storm."

To prepare for days of power outages, the Tamburellos stocked up on water, non-perishables, LED lights, batteries, and propane.

To her North Fork friends, all of whom are praying for her family and all Florida residents, Cristin said, "I'd take a North Fork blizzard any day."

She told her Facebook friends that she was unsure of how long she'd have power and be able to use her phone.

"I will update friends and family when I can. Prayers to all," she wrote.

As of the hurricane center's 2 p.m. Oct. 6 update, Matthew was positioned about 205 miles east-southeast of West Palm Beach, Florida.

The system was moving northwest at 14 mph. The storm's maximum sustained winds had grown significantly from the 125 mph reported in the early-morning hours Thursday.

On its current projected path, Matthew could make landfall somewhere along Florida’s east coast as a major hurricane Friday morning.

Hurricane-force winds extended out up to 60 miles Thursday morning. Tropical storm-force winds extended out 160 miles, forecasters said.

The storm could strengthen before it reaches the Sunshine State, forecasters noted.

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