'This hurricane is the most petrifying thing ever'

This trip was meant to be a sunny one for us, with a visit to Disney World Orlando, and a visit to Tampa for the beach.

My mum, who is 73, is finally in remission from battling a blood cancer called myeloma, so I decided to surprise her and bring her here after a rough year.

But, the weather here has been more rain than sun, and now we are living through one of the worst hurricanes in a decade.

I spent Wednesday night awake, praying that the hurricane would soon pass but fearing our hotel roof would be blown away.

We first heard about Hurricane Milton on Monday and we didn’t consider coming back to London, as we really thought "it can’t be that bad", especially as they had just experienced Hurricane Helene.

We thought "let’s ride it out", not thinking of how bad it would be.

Orlando airport closed yesterday (Wednesday) so we couldn’t change our mind. It left us with no choice but to sit tight.

On Tuesday the staff at the hotel where we are staying in Orlando put a note under our door with advice for how to survive the hurricane.

The note advised to keep the doors closed, and to bring in outdoor furniture from the balcony. It also advised for us to stock up on food.

This hotel was well prepared ahead of time. They have been busy with lots of people who have evacuated their homes in Tampa who have come here to stay.

Before the hurricane hit, I went out in the car to see if any shops were open to buy some food to keep in the hotel fridge.

By 4:30pm on Wednesday supermarkets had already closed, gas stations had closed and many had run out of gas.

I got out to record a video and I felt this gush of wind and my hood came off. My phone nearly fell out of my hand and I knew at that point that we'd better get back to the resort as the winds were picking up and were already strong.

After that, the weather became wild.

I couldn't sleep at all on Wednesday night. I spent the evening on the edge of the bed looking out of the window.

There was lightning and strong winds smacking against our windows - it was like a huge bang. I felt the windows were going to come off. I felt the floor move as well.

Thankfully, my mum was able to take out her hearing aids and get some sleep during the night, but I sat in this room awake, making sure she was OK, and praying it would pass.

When the hurricane hit the hotel I thought it was going to rip right through the hotel or at least take the roof off.

Staff had already moved us ahead of the hurricane as our previous room had rain water leaking through the bedroom ceiling. I was fearful of what could happen in this room too.

It was like a tornado and a hurricane all in one. All I could see was torrential rain coming down, with waves of water everywhere.

Seeing a hurricane up close is the most petrifying thing ever. You see hurricanes on the TV, but this was heartbreaking to witness in person.

I felt so sad hearing people's stories whose homes have already been flooded (by Hurricane Helene) and sad to know they've been hit with another hurricane in a space of a week.

This trip is something we will never forget. To live through one of the worst hurricanes and come through it, says a lot about faith and willingness to just ride it out and not panic.

I now understand the pain Floridians go through when hurricanes hit and respect how they don’t panic, as to them it’s normal. To us Brits it’s a shock to the system.

Florida is certainly gave us more than a sunny holiday at Disney.

It's showing us just how unpredictable weather can be and how hurricanes can come very quickly and suddenly without much notice.

It's incredible to see how much work is put in by the local authorities and police to keep people safe and help them prepare.

We are shaken up, but we are so grateful for the help we have had, and the advice and support from the resort, especially for my mum.

Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to hello.bbclondon@bbc.co.uk