As Florida begins to recover from the devastation caused by Hurricane Milton, many homeowners are surveying the damage and planning to rebuild.
Among them is a Florida guy who sparked news for his unusual approach of defending his home: strapping it down to keep it from being torn apart by the storm’s strong winds.
When Hurricane Milton was predicted to be a Category 5 hurricane, Pedro Casares braced himself for the worst.
With wind speeds topping 157 mph and a “catastrophic damage” forecast, Casares felt he needed to take more safeguards than usual.
Like many Floridians, Casares and his family braced themselves for the worst.
Instead of simply boarding up windows and stockpiling supplies, Casares went one step farther and literally strapped his home to the ground.
His daring decision paid off. Despite the fact that Hurricane Milton left a trail of destruction in its wake, his home escaped the storm unscathed.
The storm killed at least 16 people and inflicted an estimated $50 billion in damage throughout Florida.
Despite the fact that the storm has passed and recovery activities are underway, Casares is not in a haste to remove the straps from his home.
His daughter, Raisa, provided an update, stating that their home was fully unharmed, with “not a single shingle or tile lifted from the roof.”
The family’s neighborhood was mostly spared from significant destruction, but other close neighborhoods were not as fortunate.
While the worst appeared to have passed for Casares, many others were still suffering with the consequences of the hurricane.
You’d think Casares would take the straps off now that Hurricane Milton has passed.
Despite the drop from a Category 5 to a Category 3 hurricane, Casares has taken an unexpected choice to keep them on.
Why haven’t the straps come off yet?
Casares and his family have decided to keep the straps on until the Atlantic hurricane season, which lasts until the end of November.
Raisa stated that, while they were fortunate this time, the family does not want to take chances with future storms.
They avoided water damage since their home was not in a flood zone, but Casares is still wary.
The unpredictable nature of the hurricane season is reason enough to keep the straps fastened—just in case.
Feature Image Credit: (Youtube/@9NEWS)
