Since it made landfall on September 28, 2022, Hurricane Ian has been leaving devastation in its wake. Hurricane Ian was classified as a category 4 storm and contained maximum sustained winds of around 150 mph. While the final death toll is unknown, hundreds have been reported so far.
Among these known fatalities was a mother of four celebrating her milestone 40th birthday. Nishelle Harris-Miles traveled from Dayton, Ohio, with friends and family to celebrate, but instead the unthinkable happened.
Michele Harris, Nishelle’s mother, confirmed her death to CNN. Nishelle and her traveling companions were staying at a vacation rental in Fort Meyers when the hurricane hit. Michele said, “A lot of us at home told her not to go because a hurricane was coming. They were under the assumption they were safe.”
The group quickly realized their mistake in that assumption. Unfortunately, by time they did, it was too late. No one was willing to come and pick them up.
Water flooded the vacation rental. This caused the group to be pushed up to the ceiling. Two of them could not swim.
Michele recounted to CNN: “They were on top of a mattress and two of the girls couldn’t swim, so they tied themselves together with a sheet to try to keep each other safe.” It was a terrifying experience.
Michele continued, “They started kicking and hollering, begging for help. The ceiling then collapsed on them.”
When the ceiling collapsed, Nishelle was fatally injured. A nail punctured her neck. This wound eventually killed her.
A neighbor heard the group's screams and helped them get to a makeshift shelter. Michele said, “Her sister held her hand until Nishelle stopped moving. They stayed in a makeshift shelter with Nishelle’s body for 16 hours until the shelter started to crack.” They had to leave the body behind to save themselves.
Family was everything to Nishelle. She was a mother of four. She had two sons and two daughters. In her spare time, she enjoyed dancing.
Michele honored her daughter’s memory, saying, “She was always the life of the party. She was a caregiver and a loving person. She enjoyed life. My daughter was loved by many people.”
