A dog is “miraculously” saved from Hurricane Milton during a newscast in Florida

CBS Miami reporter Morgan Rynor ​​documented the rescue of a puppy named Benji

A small dog whose owners reportedly died in the devastation in Florida caused by Hurricane Milton was rescued from the wreckage left by the storm, and the moment was caught on camera.

On Thursday, October 10, CBS Miami released a clip of reporter Morgan Rynor ​​on the ground in Fort Pierce, Florida, covering the aftermath of Hurricane Milton. In the footage, Rynor ​​stands near a badly damaged house surrounded by piles of rubble as a man with a small dog in his arms walks away from the rubble.

“He got Benji,” Rynor ​​said in the recording. “Oh my god… I can’t believe I’m starting this off with some happy news. Look at this pile of rubble here to my left. About two seconds ago we just pulled out this little dog named Benji who was missing last night.”

Related: How to help victims of Hurricane Milton

In the video, Rynor ​​explains that Benji’s owners were “among the victims” of the storm and were staying in the house featured in the news behind it. According to Rynor’s reports, Benji “escaped” his parents’ house during the storm and was found Thursday in the remains of the house next door. CBS News notes that a neighbor of Benji’s owners told Rynor ​​that the dog’s parents died when Hurricane Milton hit Florida.

In an interview with CBS News, Rynor ​​said that photographer Brian Shanahan heard Benji barking in the distance before the live recording at 7:30 a.m. “Even though we were about two minutes away from the 7:30 live taping, we decided that Benji was more important,” Rynor ​​said. The reporter added that the group found Benji shortly after the newscast began, and learned more about the dog when a neighbor recognized Benji.

Rynor ​​also shared the news about Benji on her Instagram Stories, posting a photo of the puppy cuddled in her lap and noting that he was “deep” in the pile of rubble.

“I was told that its owners unfortunately did not survive,” wrote a CBS Miami reporter. “Benji is safe with me and I am well looked after. I’ll have to check again to see if he has any other family, but then we’ll have to find him a home. Neighbors are busy wondering where they will live.”

Related: Dog drowned on Florida Lake and finds ‘wonderful’ new home: ‘Gator gets the life he deserves’

According to Fox affiliate WTTG, Benji was rescued at the Spanish Lakes Country Club Village, an over-55s community in Port St. Lucie in St. County Lucie. According to Fox Weather, which cited the St. County Emergency Operations Center. Lucie, at least four people died Wednesday as a result of tornadoes spawned by Hurricane Milton.

“The hardest hit area was a community of about half a square mile of older modular homes that the tornado came through and completely devastated,” said Sheriff Keith Pearson, adding that the natural disaster overturned vehicles and carried the modular homes away from their homes. foundations. “They don’t even look like houses anymore. They are distorted there. There are people trapped under them.”

In an update shared on Facebook by the sheriff’s office Thursday morning, Pearson added that a local search and rescue team managed to transport 25 people to a “safe location” before reconfirming four people dead. According to ABC affiliate WPBF, the fatalities were reported in Spanish Lakes Country Club Village.

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“Crews are continuing to search the area. We will not stop until we have double-checked, triple-checked and made sure that everyone who needs help is rescued,” Pearson said, urging those who “don’t” You don’t have to get out on the road to stay safe.

Related: Alligator Sanctuary Founder Warns What Wild Animals Floridians Should Be Beware of After Hurricane Hits (Exclusive)

On Thursday, Rynor ​​gave her followers another update on Benji on her Instagram Stories that the pup was looking “overall well,” which she called a “miracle,” after she took Benji to a local vet. She and her photographer also “improvised” by caring for the puppy, taking it on “potty breaks” and using the microphone cord as a leash.

The damage in Fort Pierce comes from Milton, which made U.S. landfall on Florida’s west coast near Siesta Key, Florida, on Wednesday evening. The state is still recovering from Hurricane Helene, which hit Florida’s Big Bend region on September 26 and killed more than 200 people. On Thursday, the National Hurricane Center reported that the center of Hurricane Milton had moved from Florida to the Atlantic Ocean.

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