A hurricane has some similarities to a nor’easter, said Dana Mills, formerly of Fryeburg, now of Pembroke Pines, Fla.

As with a big snowstorm, when a hurricane is headed your way you go to the store, stand in long lines to load up on food and supplies, and wait. But a hurricane is different, Mills said. “With snowstorms the biggest problem is inconvenience.” You can’t go anywhere.

“Here, the hurricane could be quite destructive. There’s a lot of anxiety with hurricanes,” said Mills.

Saturday night he, his wife and their child were waiting out the storm in their boarded-up home.

“It’s windy, rainy,” said Mills, the associate dean at Nova Southeastern University in Miami. He expected his area would be hit today with 70- to 80-mph winds. “Our home is hurricane-proof,” he said. All of the windows had been covered to protect against flying debris. “Of course, we have enough food and water in case there are power outages.”

By Saturday night, all they could do was cross their fingers. Mills said he’s lived in Florida for three years and has not experienced a hurricane. “This is our first one.”

Mike and Sue Caron, who grew up in Lewiston and now live in Bradenton, Fla., were also nervously waiting out the storm.

“At the moment it’s not doing too much. We’re on the west coast. The storm is hitting the east coast right now,” Caron said, adding that the hurricane was expected to reach them today.

“It’s moving real slow.” Caron was expecting that Bradenton would not feel the brunt, only winds and rain. He predicted flooding would be a problem by today. Emergency officials in his Manatee County announced a voluntary evacuation for all island residents and bay-front properties. His home is not in a low-lying area, and Caron wasn’t expecting flooding.

During Hurricane Charley, their area was supposed to be in the path. They were warned to prepare for the worst. At the last minute, Charley turned; their community was spared. “We said, phew,'” Caron said. “We hardly got anything.”

Living in Florida for five years, Caron said hurricanes are new to them. They haven’t experienced hardship from one. “That worries us the most,” he said, wondering how long their luck will hold out. They have a 6-month-old baby, Travis. “Now we have him to think about.”

Ruth True, formerly from Wilton and now living and teaching in Dade City, Fla., said in an e-mail that the governor had ordered schools closed and the buildings used for shelters. She lives in a mobile home, and was going to a motel for the weekend. Having a day off because of a hurricane isn’t as exciting as a snow day, she said. Hurricanes are scary.

Christopher Rosin, formerly of the Lewiston-Auburn area and now in Boca Raton, Fla., described he and his wife as “rugged Mainers planning on riding out Frances. But we are extremely nervous.” They boarded up their home but could not cover all their windows with boards because they ran out, as did stores, Rosin said in an e-mail. “Gas pumps are already dry and people here are edgy. It’s enough to make a person long for a simple northeaster.”

Steve Maroon, born and raised in Lewiston, lives with his wife in Safety Harbor, Fla. He was hoping Saturday night that his town would live up to its name. “It’s pretty quiet so far. We’re not expecting to get too much, thank goodness.”

They bought extra food and water and made sure their vehicles were fueled. “Some stations are running out of fuel,” Maroon said. By the time Frances reaches his area, he hoped the storm would be downgraded to a tropical storm. Meanwhile, they were doing what everyone was, uneasily keeping an eye on the storm. “We’ll be watching TV.”