As Hurricane Milton continues to cause damage in Florida, a man in Orlando named Pedro Casares took drastic steps to protect his home.
Officials have confirmed that two people have died due to the storm. Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis also reported that 19 tornadoes have hit the state because of the hurricane.
Theme parks like SeaWorld, Universal Orlando, and Walt Disney World closed on Wednesday and will likely stay closed on Thursday for safety reasons.
Meanwhile, Pedro did something unusual by tying six big yellow straps from the roof of his one-story house to the ground. A picture of his house went viral after Spectrum Bay News 9 posted it on X (formerly Twitter). One person joked it was “the most Florida thing ever,” while another said, “People are laughing now, but this guy will be a hero when other houses float away and he’s relaxing in his living room.”
A third person admired Pedro’s creativity, saying, “He’s thinking outside the box. We need more people like him.”
Tampa Mayor Jane Castor asked people to stay indoors as videos of the hurricane’s damage appeared online. In a press conference, she stressed the need to stay safe, saying, “Please stay inside until we can check the damage and make sure it’s safe to go back outside or return to your neighborhood.”
She also mentioned that they were lucky the expected storm surge didn’t happen, which helped a lot.
The US National Hurricane Center reminded people that the calm when the eye of a hurricane passes can be misleading. The winds and rain stop suddenly, but then start again just as quickly, this time from the opposite direction.
As the storm goes on, the financial damage is starting to show. A report from Forbes says Disney could lose $150 million to $200 million this quarter because Walt Disney World is closed, with tourists still stuck there. Goldman Sachs also predicts that tourism might fall by 6% because of the bad weather.