A 74-year-old Florida man was tragically killed during Hurricane Ian just shortly after posting he was frightened about the storm on Facebook, according to CNN.
Mitch Pacyna, known affectionately as “The Mayor of Fort Myers Beach,” was killed during the storm as he and his wife were trying to escape to higher ground, CNN reported.
Pacyna and his wife, Mary Wojciechowski, had lived in Florida for 27 years and thought the hurricane would be just like the others they’d experienced, his daughter, Michelle Schuline, told CNN. Pacyna had made several Facebook updates during the storm, including posting a video showing his home bar floating away. Pacyna posted a final message around 1:28 p.m. on Sept. 28 just before the storm made landfall.
“OK, WE’RE TERRIFIED!!” the post read.
“I understand they were trying to leave the house as it was collapsing and he didn’t make it out of there,” Schuline reportedly said.
Wojciechowski and the couple’s dog, Lulu, survived, CNN reported.
“[Wojciechowski is] obviously in shock, devastated,” Schuline said, according to the report. “They were together for 30 years, so losing somebody like that and being there when it happened is really hard on her. She’s having … a hard time with understanding what’s all going on and coming to grips with things.” (RELATED: ‘I Don’t Want To Die’: Woman Says She Put Her 3-Month-Old Baby In Plastic Bin As Hurricane Flooding Reached Attic)
Pacyna was known amongst friends and family as being incredibly kind and outgoing, his daughter said, according to CNN.
“Whenever somebody [new] would come to town … he would meet them and welcome them and sit down, have a drink and just welcome to the community,” Schuline said. “He was always the life of the party. He enjoyed his friends and spending time with them and celebrating their successes.”
At least 100 Floridians were killed during the Category 4 storm, and more than 1,900 people have been rescued throughout the Sunshine State.