Pedro Casares went to extreme measures to make sure his home remained intact as the ‘storm of the century’ came barrelling towards it
A man who went to incredible lengths to make sure his home didn’t take a battering by Hurricane Milton plans to keep it strapped down for a little bit longer.
You’ve most likely seen the viral video of Pedro Casares fastening his entire house to the ground through a series of yellow safety straps – and surprisingly, it seemed to work as his home was still standing.
According to NBC News, the death toll for the ‘storm of the century’ stands at 17 – six deaths in St. Lucie County, four in Volusia County, two people lost their lives in both Hillsborough County and Pinellas County, while one each died in Orange County, Citrus County and Polk County.
Hurricane Milton had winds of 180mph on the approach before downgrading to category three on landfall on Wednesday night in Sarasota County, near Siesta Kay – around 70 miles to the south of Tampa Bay.
And if wind speeds of up to 129mph weren’t enough, it was joined by at least 19 confirmed tornadoes and an almighty wall of lightning.
It is the third hurricane to hit Florida this year, and has left more than three million people across the state without electricity.
Pedro Casares’ daughter gives his adoring fans an update on their property (TikTok/simplyuniquesmiles93)
It caused mass destruction obliterating everything in its path, including the Major League Baseball side Tampa Bay Rays’ home ground Tropicana Field – which had its roof ripped off in the storm.
While it displaced millions of Floridians, Casares and his family decided to remain put as they tried to protect their belongings.
The safety straps he secured his house down with were fixed into hooks, which were placed eight feet into the earth with cement.
But despite Hurricane Milton having now passed, it will remain up for a few weeks yet.
Speaking about it, Casares’ daughter Raisa told his fans on TikTok: “We’re not taking these straps off until hurricane season is over because the weather is crazy and we don’t even know but yeah everything is good guys.
“We tried to do our best to secure, you know, what’s ours, I mean, again my parents came a long way, you know, to the United States and really had to bust their butts to get them to where they’re at.”
The Atlantic hurricane season poses a threat to Florida for six months between June 1 and November 30 – so expect those yellow straps to remain in place for the next few weeks.
She also shared an update of their wellbeing on the social media platform: “Thankful we’re okay, house is good from crazy damages or anything. Straps are still strapped in.”
Casares acknowledged the home was in a ‘no-flood’ zone, so her family thankfully avoided having their house filled with water.
“Everything is intact. Not a single shingle or tile has lifted from the roof,” she added.
After she shared her clip, some viewers pointed out that other houses in the area seemed to have stayed intact even without Casares’ strap method, though Raisa noted the street behind their home ‘got struck badly’.
