LEESBURG, Fla. – Carlos Rodriguez used his chainsaw to clear a path on Old Colony Road in Leesburg after Hurricane Milton’s strong winds knocked down a massive tree onto his home.
It’s a small step on his and his wife Dena’s long road to recovery after losing everything.
“When we first pulled up and I got out of the vehicle I bursted out crying. My house had been destroyed. Totally destroyed,” Dena said.
The couple bought this home three years ago and say it’s where they saved their marriage.
“He wasn’t gonna buy it, but he saw the potential in it. To help me out, he bought it. We were going through separation. This is pretty much our home of reconciliation,” Dena said.
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Thankfully, the couple made a life-saving decision to evacuate right before the storm.
“If we were sitting on that couch. He usually lays down on the couch. We would have been dead. This is the camera I was using to look out at our house,” Dena said.
The two will stay in their hotel off of International Drive for the next two days, but after that, they’ll be homeless.
“We’re not gonna be able to repair because we don’t have insurance. These are not typical insurers. Even if we would have got renters insurance, it would have only replaced what’s inside,” Carlos said.
The only option they have right now is to sell off what they can.
Several friends in their community offered them a place to stay while they figure things out.
“We love the community. We love it here. It’s a great neighborhood. It’s convenient for me because the residents know me. They allow me to work on their homes,” said Carlos.
The couple created a GoFundMe, hoping to raise $15,000 to put a down payment on a new home.
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