The efforts one Florida man went to in order to batten down the hatches and prevent his home from being damaged by Hurricane Milton as it roared across the state earlier this week, appears to have paid off.
In a photo that went viral, homeowner Pedro Casares of Orlando had the wild idea of strapping down his family home in an attempt to prevent major damage as the category 3 storm pummeled the area.
Despite skepticism from those who saw the picture ahead of the storm, Casares’ forward planning looks to have saved the home from any significant damage.
Originally from Puerto Rico, Casares planted metal hooks into the ground embedded within 8ft of cement.
Orlando resident Pedro Casares strapped his entire house down ahead of Hurricane Milton
Following the storm, it appeared everything had remained in place including the roof
Huge plastic straps, the kind normally used to keep cargo containers in position on ships, were then connected to the hooks on the ground in order to keep the roof from lifting off as the storm battered the area.
Casares spent $22,000 for the cement anchors and specifically made-to-order straps that lined the rooftop of the family home which are said to be able to withstand 5,400 pounds of weight.
The ingenius precautions came after the family endured a hurricane while living in Guaynabo on the Caribbean island which saw the aluminum roof of their home almost lift off.
TikTok user SimplyUniqueSmiles93, Casares’ daughter, gave viewers a much anticipated walk around the home to allow followers to see how the home had fared.
‘The house, thankfully we’re good. There’s just a lot of leaves everywhere but everything is still intact. There’s a lot of affected areas near our home,’ she explained during a walkabout.
Casares’ daughter, gave viewers a much anticipated walk around the home to allow followers to see how the home had fared
The TikToker said the house remained unscathed with not a single roof tile missing
The family say the straps will be staying on the home until hurricane season is over in December
‘The home is intact. Not a single shingle nor tile has lifted from the roof. Everything is good. We’re not taking the straps off until hurricane is over!’ she added.
Before the storm hit, social media users were captivated by Casares’ idea.
Most said they were impressed with his efforts, branding him as a ‘legend’ and praising him for ‘thinking outside the box.’
‘This is the most Florida thing I’ve ever seen,’ one person joked.
‘Everyone is laughing now, but this man will be a legend when all the other houses are floating down the road and he’s sitting in his new living room swimming pool watching TV powered by a Starlink terminal,’ wrote someone else.
‘I actually respect the effort. I hope it is effective,’ added another user.
‘He’s thinking outside the box, need more folks like him…’ read a fourth tweet.
A fifth said, ‘Bro secured his house like a piano when moving. Absolute legend.’
The straps are able to withstand 5,400lbs of weight and connected to metal hooks attached to sunken concrete 8ft underground
The family also boarded up the windows to prevent any of them blowing in during the strong winds
Florida residents slogged through flooded streets, gathered up scattered debris and assessed damage to their homes after Hurricane Milton smashed through coastal communities and spawned a barrage of deadly tornadoes.
At least 10 people were dead, and rescuers were still saving people from swollen rivers, but many expressed relief that Milton wasn’t worse.
The hurricane spared densely populated Tampa a direct hit, and the lethal storm surge that scientists feared never materialized.
Florida’s vital tourism industry has started to return to normal as Walt Disney World and other theme parks reopened.
The state’s busiest airport, in Orlando, also resumed full operations Friday.
