Cayuga County woman dies due to Hurricane Milton

GENOA, N.Y. (WSYR) — A Cayuga County native, Debbie Kennedy, was killed by a tornado in Fort Pierce, Florida, hours before Hurricane Milton made landfall on Wednesday.

The 66-year-old moved to the Sunshine State in March from Union Springs, New York, to get an early start on her retirement before her time in the sun came to a tragic end.

“It was very unexpected,” Brandi Smith, Kennedy’s daughter, said. “My mom went down there to retire and just live the rest of her life…happy…doing whatever she wanted.”

Smith said she tried to contact her mother for hours on Wednesday afternoon. After she saw online images of the devastation left behind by the twisters’ path, things went from bad to worse when a Florida official contacted her on Thursday to tell her Kennedy’s body had been identified.

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“I knew that something bad had happened because they had no plan on evacuating because it was so far ahead of the storm that it was still supposed to be safe,” she said. “Then, the tornadoes came out of nowhere and they weren’t expecting it…just gut-wrenching.”

The Kennedy family is trying to find a way to cope with the loss.

“I think we’re all just numb and in shock right now,” she said.

Smith said her family asks people to remember Kennedy as a woman with a kind heart.

“Her sense of humor was absolutely off the charts…and it made it really fun, growing up with her, because it was kind of deep and dark a little bit,” she said. “She was an awesome person and has always been a great mom.”

Now, the family is looking towards the future.

“Her plan is to be buried next to my dad and we’re going to make sure that we do anything we need to do to make that happen…to get her home,” she said. “That is our goal…to get her home.”

Friday afternoon, Smith and her seven-year-old daughter received a care package from Kennedy. She said her mother sent the package out on the same day that Hurricane Milton hit Florida and wonders whether to open it or not. For now, she said the pain is too unbearable to face alone.

Smith said there is a plot ready at Chestnut Hill Cemetery in Union Springs where Kennedy will be reunited with her late husband Jeff Kennedy, once they have raised enough funds to bring her home.

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