Puerto Rican Man Goes Viral For Strapping Down Roof Before Hurricane Milton
ORLANDO, FLORIDA, UNITED STATES - OCTOBER 10: A tree lies over a street after Hurricane Milton passed through on October 10, 2024 in Orlando, Florida. The storm made landfall on Wednesday night on Florida's Gulf coast as a Category 3 hurricane before traveling across Central Florida, causing massive destruction and leaving 3 million Floridians without power. (Photo by Paul Hennessy/Anadolu via Getty Images) ORLANDO, FLORIDA, UNITED STATES - OCTOBER 10: A tree lies over a street after Hurricane Milton passed through on October 10, 2024 in Orlando, Florida. The storm made landfall on Wednesday night on Florida's Gulf coast as a Category 3 hurricane before traveling across Central Florida, causing massive destruction and leaving 3 million Floridians without power. (Photo by Paul Hennessy/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Pedro Cáceres has gone viral after a photo of his house strapped down to withstand Hurricane Milton, which hit Florida starting October 9th, was posted on X. Cáceres and his daughter Raisa explained in an interview with a local station that there was a thought process behind the way the roof was strapped down. They’ve sadly been through this before.
The straps are connected to hooks, which are attached to 8-foot-deep holes that are filled with cement, which means the straps support thousands of pounds each. The man, who was born in Puerto Rico, said in an interview that the hurricanes he experienced on the island served as experience. He previously did the same thing in 2004 for Hurricane Charlie.
“We had a hurricane that we went through,” his daughter Raisa told CNN. “And the back of our roof lifted a little bit, it was aluminum.” So the idea of strapping down the roof was born.
“They hold about 5,400 pounds of weight and wind, so we’re giving it a test,” Raisa added.
With Milton now having moved past Orlando, the question is, did it work? And the answer seems to be a resounding yes. There are no pictures of the house in the aftermath as of yet, but an update from a social media account that seems to be from Cáceres indicates the straps kept the roof from sustaining any major damage because of Milton.
Whoever said unconventional thinking couldn’t save the day?
To learn how to provide aid for those affected by Hurricane Milton, learn more here.
