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Cambridge Man In SC To Protect Home, Business From Hurricane Florence

CAMBRIDGE (CBS) - While hundreds of thousands of people are evacuating the southern region being hit by Hurricane Florence, one man decided to head the opposite direction, into the storm.

Michael Friedman lives in Cambridge, but he has another house just north of Charleston, South Carolina.

He decided to ignore the mandatory evacuations and fly to South Carolina to be with his son, who is in his 20s, and protect his home and business there.

mount pleasant, south-carolina
A boarded up building in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. (Photo courtesy: Michael Friedman)

"It was really important for me to be here, a lot of business interests and family interests here. I want to make sure the things here are taken care of," he said.

He says if he stayed in Boston, he likely wouldn't have been able to go to Charleston for weeks.

friedman and son hurricane florence
Michael Friedman of Cambridge and his son in South Carolina. (Courtesy: Michael Friedman)

"Family has been calling me, friends have been calling, saying 'What are you doing? Why don't you leave? But at the end of the day, it's in my best interest to stay and I think we're safe," Friedman said.

He says they have two weeks worth of food and water supplies, flashlights and candles.

"At the end of the day, it was making sure we as a family were together and can work through this," he said.

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