A family has revealed if their home survived Hurricane Milton after it went viral after it was strapped down like a piano.
Hurricane Milton - which peaked as a category five storm before leveling to a category three - has caused a tremendous amount of devestation, with the hardest hit area being Tampa in Florida.
The BBC reported that at least 16 people have died after Hurricane Milton passed through the state, though the total number of deaths could rise as rescue workers make their way through floodwaters and debris.
More than two million homes and businesses are without power and thousands of people have already been rescued from flooded areas and moved to safer areas.
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One man decided to take drastic measures to protect the things he loved.
Homeowner Pedro Casares of Orlando decided to strap down his entire home in the hopes that it wouldn't get blown away by the harsh winds.
Originally from Puerto Rico, Casares planted metal hooks into the ground embedded within 8ft of cement before strapping his property down front-to-back with yellow bands.
The resident reportedly 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, according to the Daily Mail.
An image of the home was reposted to X (formerly Twitter) and quickly went viral for the idea.
"This is the most Florida thing I’ve ever seen," wrote one user, while another added: "Hate to say it, but I actually respect the effort. I hope it is effective."
And this user commented: "We gotta know if he pulled on the straps and said 'that ain’t goin nowhere' before I can make a judgement on if this works or not."
While some may have been skeptical, it seems as though the forward-planning actually worked out in Casares' favor as the home managed to stay primarily intact.
The news was shared by Casares' daughter on TikTok (@simplyuniquesmiles93), would proudly gave a tour of her home following the storm. Check out her video below:
"The house, thankfully we’re good," she said in the post. "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."
She added: "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!"
We love that for the family!
The daughter also revealed that it was the second time the family has used the straps for a major storm.
US President Joe Biden will travel to Florida on Sunday to visit areas impacted by Hurricane Milton, the White House has said in a statement on Friday.
Speaking to the press from the White House, the current president added that experts estimate that Hurricane Milton caused around $50 billion in damage.
The governor of the state, Ron DeSantis, warned Floridians not to go near downed power lines.
As per the Guardian, authorities in Orange County have also confirmed the death of a man in his 60s, who appeared to have stepped on a downed power line while cleaning debris from the storm while authorities in Tampa said that a woman was killed by a falling tree branch.
Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this tragedy.
