Florida family sheltered from Hurricane Milton in Nashville

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A Florida family devastated by Hurricane Helene drove for two days to shelter in Nashville as Hurricane Milton made landfall.

Chris Foley is a Florida native. His partner, Ashley Rauth, moved with her kids from California to Florida weeks before Helene made landfall . The couple said back-to-back hurricanes have destroyed their home in Clearwater.

“We were trying our best to put anything that had sentimental value in a secure location,” Rauth told News 2.

Taking shelter on higher ground for Helene, the family watched as the waters rose.

“We looked out the window, and the water was super duper high,” Rauth’s daughter, Bennett, added.

When they returned home, the family found their boat in the neighbor’s yard. The area was flooded, and almost everything was destroyed.

“The boxes, when they got wet, got compromised. So everything we had spent all this time stacking then, one by one, fell into the water,” Foley said.

Rauth and Foley explained that they spent the following days trying to salvage photos.

“When I was opening things like Mother’s Day cards and baby pictures, that is when it sort of puts things in perspective,” Rauth said. “Those little things that you put away that you don’t look at every day…It’s heartbreaking.”

With the house gutted, debris lining their street, and the boat still in the neighbor’s yard, the family packed up and headed to Nashville after hearing that Hurricane Milton was coming their way.

“I just packed my school stuff and some clothes and my electronics,” Ford, Rauth’s son, said.

The family is set to return to what was their home on Friday, unsure of what awaits them.

“Fingers crossed,” Foley said. “Neighbors have driven by and said your place looks okay, but we won’t really know until we get in.”

Foley told News 2 that repairs and construction could be six months to a year.

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