A Florida husband’s long-lost wedding ring was discovered amid the chaos of Hurricane Milton.
Basil and Laura Yorio were devastated to have misplaced the wedding band during a construction project about nine years ago.
While it was always was in the back of their minds, the couple had accepted they were unlikely to ever see it again.
But the couple were amazed this week when the huge storm helped the pair be reunited with the once-cherished ring, which is coordinated as a set between his and hers.
The pair had evacuated their home in Palm Bay, Florida, before the hurricane touched down on Wednesday, when it was still category 3 with 120 mph winds.
Basil and Laura Yorio evacuated their home in Palm Bay, Florida, before the hurricane touched down on Wednesday
By Thursday, the storm had moved on and the Yorios returned to their house.
Laura went into their yard with their dog to asses the hurricane’s damage, but she was soon distracted by something glimmering amid the rain-choked grass.
‘It was just sitting there. It was a little bit embedded in the dirt,’ Laura told Fox news.
‘I looked down and saw a silver ring and thought it was like a key ring,’ she continued.
Upon closer inspection, though, the object was revealed to be her husband’s wedding ring, which had vanished almost a decade prior.
‘After a rough couple of days, it was a happy ending,’ Laura said.
Upon closer inspection, though, the object was revealed to be her husband’s wedding ring, which had vanished almost a decade prior
‘It just disappeared,’ Basil said.
For years, the couple has tirelessly searched the yard, carefully inspecting every corner for the missing ring.
‘We’ve been here a thousand times over the last nine years,’ Laura stated.
The Yorios also have a landscaper come and mow their yard every week, and he never stumbled on the long-lost wedding band either.
‘I have a landscaper who comes once a week, every week, for nine years – nothing,’ Laura said.
The couple believe that Hurricane Milton’s heavy rains were they key to unearthing the ring.
Despite their joy over the find, the Yorios said that they are ‘mindful’ of the pain people are experiencing as a result of the storm
Despite their joy over the find, the Yorios said that they are ‘mindful’ of the pain people are experiencing as a result of the storm.
Milton made landfall as a Category 3 storm, but it was later downgraded to Category 1.
The storm’s savage winds were still powerful enough to rip the fabric roof over the home of baseball’s Tampa Bay Rays to shreds.
Milton also spawned at least 19 tornadoes, causing damage in numerous counties, and destroyed around 125 homes, most of them mobile homes.
As of Friday night, more than one million customers were still without power. At least 17 people are dead in Milton’s aftermath.
Given the widespread devastation, the recovered wedding band is a silver lining for the Yorios.
‘We’re very mindful that a lot of people are going through terrible things,’ Laura said.
‘I feel almost a little guilty feeling happy about all of this, but it was something good.’
