With its unrelenting winds and heavy rains, Hurricane Milton threatened to completely change the coastal environment and the lives of everyone in its path as it churned menacingly in the Atlantic Oct. 9. This deadly storm became the first category five hurricane to make landfall in the United States, mainly affecting the state of Florida. 

“When we first heard about the hurricane, we rushed to the supermarket to stock up on food and water. Fortunately, nothing too bad happened besides us losing power for a couple days,” Hong Yuan, a South Eugene parent who lives in Florida, said. 

The western coast of Florida was hit hard, and cities all over the state issued evacuation warnings. The storm destroyed the houses of thousands of people and left them homeless. 

“My aunt lives out in Florida, and she was really affected,” South junior Connor Weatherly said. “She lost power for about a week, but luckily her house is still intact. We were very worried for her.”

By Jeremy Wang