Mother Nature can be ruthless, but friendships help ease life's storms | Suzy Leonard

As Hurricane Milton barreled across the Gulf of Mexico toward Florida, messages started coming in from friends across the country and around the world.

Are you in the path?

Are you evacuating?

Do you need a place to stay?

Be safe! We’re thinking about you!

It was humbling to have so many people concerned about our welfare . The only other time I experience this kind of outpouring of love is when my birthday pops up on Facebook.

If I’ve learned anything after 25 years in Florida and 17 in Louisiana, it’s that hurricanes are to be taken seriously.

After decades of reporting on hurricanes, visiting shelters, writing about damage and compiling endless lists of restaurants that remained open, Milton was a different animal for me.

This time I got to do what most people do when a hurricane is approaching. I helped my husband move plants into the garage and tuck outdoor furniture up next to the house. I stocked my pantry with essentials, did loads of laundry, ran the vacuum and baked cookies.

We usually don’t evacuate, though we make that decision on a storm-by-storm basis. We live in a block home several miles inland. It has impact glass windows and a hurricane-rated roof, so instead of fleeing for our safety we became a haven for friends and family who live beachside or didn’t want to ride out the rattling winds alone.

By the time everyone arrived, our house was filled with six adults, two dogs, three cats and enough hurricane snacks to feed a small country.

With all our storm refugees safely inside, the menfolk hung shutters over the front door, just in case, while the womenfolk made a grazing board with dried fruit, cheese, hummus, crackers and fancy olives.

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Then we settled in to wait. The cats were tucked away in their respective bedrooms, and the dogs earned their keep as emotional support animals, finding the most anxious in our midst and plopping down next to them, ready for belly rubs and ear scratches.

After an hour of frenzied weather coverage, we looked for the chick-flickiest movie on Netflix that we could find. Even the guys didn’t complain about having two hours of storm-free, mindless entertainment.

By the time the movie was over, the weather had deteriorated. We switched back to storm coverage. Six cellphones blasted warning sirens. My phone rattled with alerts from several news outlets, Amazon Alexa and FP&L, who also sent an email and made an automated phone call.

Tornadoes had been spotted in the area.

We watched as the local news stations showed footage of a damaged building in Cocoa Beach. A friend who lives near the building posted a Facebook video of calf-deep water flowing down her street.

While half our group stayed glued to the TV, the other half moved out to the lanai to watch the rain and distant lightning.

By 10:30 p.m., we were exhausted by the wait. We said our good nights and went to bed. I expected to lie awake, my husband anxiously scrolling through the news channels.

Instead, I slept. We all slept, and woke to calm, as Milton’s eye passed over us.

Dawn brought news of flooding and devastation on Florida’s west coast. Thousands of our friends and neighbors on the Space Coast were without power.

Our neighborhood, though, was blessedly intact. The lights flickered, but immediately came back on.

As our hurricane refugees packed up and returned to their homes, we took a moment to say a silent thank you. Mother Nature can be ruthless. Why she spared us this time, we don’t know.

We picked up a few twigs and fallen palm fronds.

We washed sheets and towels and put our house back in order.

Then we made a donation to the American Red Cross emergency services, earmarking it for hurricane victims, and we said a quick prayer that hurricane season will end with Milton.

Suzy Fleming Leonard is a retired FLORIDA TODAY editor and writer. Reach her at suzy@321creates.com.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Mother Nature can be ruthless, but friendships help ease life's storms | Suzy Leonard