BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. -- Hurricane Milton made its mark in Florida Wednesday, impacting millions, including some with ties to Central Virginia.
Joseph Assad, a relative of a CBS 6 producer, lives in Florida's Brevard County. The area was spared from some of the more significant damage caused by the over 100 tornado warnings produced by Milton.
“We are very lucky to have dodged this bullet," Assad said. "It’s a very scary thing when that large of a population is impacted."
While his home itself was okay, the storm managed to destroy the family's dock, uproot trees, and even wash up a random boat onto their property.
Assad believes all things considered they are lucky to be alive and healthy as he believes things could have been worse.
Across Florida, the wicked weather somehow spared Stephanie Weeks' home in Naples.
Weeks said her home is also okay but she is currently without power.
She and her husband were in Central Virginia for a funeral when they learned of Hurricane Milton. They decided to stay until the storm passed and now believe their stay in Virginia may soon become permanent.
The couple is now looking for homes in the area.
“The storms are just getting worse and more life-threatening compared to when I grew up," Weeks said. "It’s starting to impact our daily lives. The storms are starting to take a toll."
While these two Floridians were lucky, they feel fortunate that state leaders made the calls they did to help them keep their families safe.
“How it was communicated was spot on. It wasn’t an over hype. I’m very grateful we have local state and federal officials assisting people that were in harm's way,” Assad said.
For resources on how you can help those impacted by Hurricanes Milton and Helene,you can donate here.
CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
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