Darkness fell as the storm hit Florida’s Gulf Coast, bringing deadly tornadoes and heavy flooding. Millions lost power, and many communities were left in ruins.
Hurricane Milton, a strong Category 3 storm, made landfall near Siesta Key in Sarasota County, Florida, on October 9, around 8:30 in the evening.
With winds over 120 miles per hour and heavy rain, the hurricane caused major damage. More than 1.1 million homes and businesses lost power, especially in Sarasota, Manatee, and Hardee counties.
The Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) posted on Facebook, urging people to stay inside and remain alert.
As the hurricane approached, tornadoes tore through St. Lucie County, causing severe damage and deaths. Sheriff Keith Pearson confirmed “multiple fatalities” in a senior community near Fort Pierce.
The exact number of deaths is still unknown as rescue teams search for survivors. “They are listening for life,” Pearson said, describing efforts to find people in the wreckage.
St. Lucie County has suffered massive destruction. County spokesman Erick Gill said, “Dozens of homes have been damaged, some with catastrophic damage.”
Statewide, about 125 homes were destroyed, mostly in senior mobile home communities, according to FDEM Director Kevin Guthrie. Emergency workers are working nonstop to help those affected.
Governor Ron DeSantis said the storm caused 116 tornado warnings across the state, with 19 tornadoes confirmed. The damage from Hurricane Milton is widespread.
In St. Petersburg, a rare rainfall event occurred, with over nine inches of rain in just three hours. This was more rain than the city usually gets in three months.
An advisory on October 10 from the National Weather Service warned of flash floods in parts of west-central Florida. Strong winds also continued to hit the east coast.
By 1:00 a.m. Eastern Time, St. Petersburg had winds of 48 mph, with gusts up to 79 mph. Orlando recorded winds of 46 mph, with gusts of 74 mph, and Cape Canaveral had winds of 52 mph, with gusts up to 67 mph.
Susan Dey’s life after hit TV series “The Partridge Family” and her crush on colleague David Cassidy back in the day
How many of you remember watching “The Partridge Family?” If you were a fan, you were probably enchanted by the beauty of Laurie Partridge who was played by actress Susan Dey.
When Susan was offered the role in the ABC series which lasted for four years, from 1970 to 1974, she didn’t have any experience in acting, but casting her was the right thing to do as she was incredibly talented and it felt like she’d been in front of the camera many times before.
The adventures of the singing family which traveled from place to place to perform in a refurbished psychedelic school bus stole the hearts of many. After it finished in the States, it became a huge hit in the U.K as well and the cast gained huge popularity.
Susan’s colleague, David Cassidy, who played Keith in the show, quickly became a teen idol whom many girls adored. Among all those women who were crazy about him was Susan herself. She had a crush on him for a longer period of time, but the two only started dating after the show was over. Their relationship didn’t last long and they remained good friends until David published his book, C’mon, Get Happy: Fear and Loathing on the Partridge Family Bus, where he shared some intimate details of his relationship with Susan. Among the rest, he said he ended what he had with her because she was too innocent for him.
This made Susan mad. She vowed to never speak to him again and even refused to attend the cast reunion years later.
Since “The Partridge Family,” Susan was part of many movies and TV shows and even wrote a book titled, Susan Dey’s Secrets on Boys, Beauty and Popularity.
Over the years, she earned six Golden Globe and three Emmy award nominations before she won a Golden Globe award for Best Actress for the role of Grace Van Owen in “LA Law.”
According to Worldation.com, Susan turned down the role of Sandy in Grease and Olivia Newton John, who played that role, was offered the role of Laurie in “The Partridge Family” but her manager convinced her not to accept it.
Today, Susan is enjoying a quiet life with her husband and their family in New York where she grew up. She’s no longer under the limelight but she’ll always remain someone who made our young years awesome. No one really forgets such series as “The Partridge Family” no matter how much time passes.
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