A Florida resident used everything she had on hand, including duct tape and plastic tie wraps, to save the life of her paralyzed husband during the passage of Hurricane Ian.
• Read also: Hurricane Ian makes landfall in South Carolina
• Read also: Hurricane Ian: Human remains rise to the surface in a Florida cemetery
• Read also: Generalized blackout: anger rumbles in Cuba
Renee Smith, who resides in Punta Gorda, told the NBC network the extraordinary means she had to use to secure her husband Christopher, bedridden due to prostate cancer.
While she was able to hide under a table, her husband could not leave his bed. Renee Smith therefore installed pillows between Christopher and the window, in order to protect him from possible shards of glass.
She also put a life jacket on him in case the house was flooded.
“Before going into hiding, I had to protect my husband. It was terrifying,” said Renee Smith.
The latter explains that she drilled holes in the blankets using scissors, then she tied them to her husband’s bed using plastic ties (tie wraps). She also fixed a tarp, again using “tie wraps”, over the covers.
“Afterwards, I installed pillows and plastic bags on the dresser and I fixed them using adhesive tape (duct tape). I also put pillows between the sideboard and the window, because I didn’t want him to cut himself to death if the window shattered,” Smith said.
After securing her husband, Renne Smith claims to have built a “fort” under the kitchen table, with pillows and blankets. She spent several hours there waiting for the hurricane to pass.
“I heard the chimney being ripped from the roof and collapsing. I was afraid that it would pass through the roof and that it would collapse on me”, testifies the citizen of Florida.
Mrs. Smith, who suffers from a broken arm, is still grateful to be still alive. Her husband is also safe and sound, although traumatized, she explains.