I’m sitting in my house waiting for a remediation team to start drying my floor and tarping my roof.
After thirty years of “dodging the bullet,” Hurricane Milton got us. It was big. It was nasty.
It got us in the form of a construction beam from a nearby project crashing through our roof and into our guest bathroom.
Someone at my work said it looks like Superman threw a spear into your house. Just my luck, Henry Cavill finally shows up and I’m evacuated.
As bad as it looks, the beam was fairly simple to remove. A guy was lifted onto our roof and pulled it out with his bare hands. Superman?
There’s damage, though. Not sure how bad. Not yet. That said, it’s nothing compared to what others are going through. I still have my house.
Superman’s spear is an inconvenience. A lot of people lost everything. And one more thing… I’m alive and well.
I couldn’t be more proud of the team I work with at Fox 13 in Tampa. Our meteorologists are the best in the business. They called it perfectly. (I wish they had been wrong this time.) The reporters and photographers did all the heavy lifting. The producers too. I just sat there and read words as they went by on a teleprompter.
One more thing about my workplace. The management was incredible. When these things happen, our TV station becomes a hotel. That air mattress I bought for this very reason ain’t bad for sleeping.
And I had my own private space too. After 30 years there, they gave the old man some room.
Yes, they fed us and checked in on those that had damage. I am grateful.
I sit here waiting for this remediation team to arrive listening to the sound of generators. No power yet. My window is up. It’s actually a cool day. Cool for October in Florida. It is October, isn’t it? This thing has messed with my head.
The place responsible for Superman’s spear has been great. So apologetic. They have even offered to put us up until repairs are made. I’m still looking for a hotel with power.
No hurry. I’m depending on the kindness of friends. They have a generator and a spare bedroom. I’m already feeling a little guilty. I’m going to have to do something nice for these people.
I’m also thinking about all those people not as lucky as us. Lives were changed this week. Some forever. It’s going to take a long time to fix all of this.
Right now, I’m still waiting on the remediation team to arrive. In my mind, one of them will look like Henry Cavill. A guy can dream, right?
Hi Russell, so good to hear you made it through the storm safe! This last one was downright scary. The worst part was when we had to stop watching Fox 13. You all are like family! Thank you for getting us through!