Hurricane Milton was an incredibly strong and devastating tropical cyclone which became the 2nd most intense Atlantic hurricane ever recorded over the Gulf of Mexico.
In Hillsborough County, like in many other places, huge areas were left underwater; therefore, crews from Hillsborough County Fire Rescue (HCFR) have been rushing to help everyone trapped in flooded streets, including pets. And one pup, right after being rescued, gave such a deep, grateful look to HCFR's Captain Dusty Mascaro that it immediately went viral all over the internet.
More info: Hillsborough County Fire Rescue
Hillsborough County Fire Rescue's Captain Dusty Mascaro took a heartwarming selfie with one of the dogs he rescued from Hurricane Milton flooding
Image credits: Hillsborough County Fire Rescue, Florida
Image credits: Hillsborough County Fire Rescue, Florida
Image credits: Hillsborough County Fire Rescue, Florida
On October 5, 2024, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency and around six million Floridians were ordered to evacuate, marking one of the largest evacuation orders since Hurricane Irma in 2017.
Florida’s Hillsborough County was among the the ones that were hit the hardest by Hurricane Milton and while many people left their homes for safer places, lots of pets, unfortunately, were stuck in the terrible conditions.
HCFR has rescued over 100 sopping wet tails so far. The animals were carefully boarded onto buses and then finally brought to safety.
During the process, captain Dusty Mascaro decided to take a selfie with one of the pups he had just taken out of the water. Little did he know that instead of just capturing a beautiful moment to remember, he would also record all the love and gratitude the dog had in his eyes at the time.
"This dog’s eyes say it all," HCFR wrote next to that photo on Facebook. "We’re incredibly grateful for the opportunity to serve and protect all members of our community, big and small."
The dog's look was so deep and so powerful that it somehow was able to express all the gratitude for people working so hard to help everyone after the hurricane.
"This picture is worth 1,000 words," one of the commentators wrote.
"The love and gratitude on his face is priceless," another one added and also noted that maybe Dusty should consider adopting this wonderful dog.
Florida’s Hillsborough County was among the hardest hit by Hurricane Milton, leaving a huge part of the region underwater
Image credits: Hillsborough County Fire Rescue, Florida
Image credits: Hillsborough County Fire Rescue, Florida
Image credits: Hillsborough County Fire Rescue, Florida
Before Hurricane Milton hit Florida’s Gulf Coast on Wednesday night, making landfall as a powerful Category 3 storm leaving millions without power and huge flooding, NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick posted on his social media probably the most impressive time lapse and image of this terrifying monster.
The images were taken from the window of the Dragon Endeavour, which is docked with the International Space Station.
"We flew over Hurricane Milton about 90 minutes ago. Here is the view out the Dragon Endeavour window," Matthew wrote at the time. "Expect lots of images from this window as this is where I’m sleeping while we wait to undock and return to Earth," he added and later shared the mesmerizing time lapse, which you can see here.
Image credits: Matthew Dominick
Milton unexpectedly became the strongest Gulf of Mexico hurricane since Hurricane Rita in 2005.
It is interesting to mention that, according to some researchers, this hurricane started as an extremely small storm, yet record high ocean temperatures, moist and warm air were the perfect ingredients necessary to rapidly intensify it.
"It went from being a tropical storm to being a Category 5 hurricane in less than two days, which is off the charts," shared Karthik Balaguru, a climate scientist at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
After Hurricane Milton, Hillsborough County Fire Rescue's teams already have saved more than 100 pets
Image credits: NOAA
Image credits: Pixabay / Pexels
This year, the typical peak of hurricane activity of the season remained very quiet, which puzzled researchers, yet Helene and Milton showed that really strong ones can hit us unexpectedly.
Along with countless untold stories of heroism and bravery trying to save lives impacted by the devastating power of nature, Dusty's selfie with the rescue dog perfectly summarizes all the gratitude for the efforts of those working so hard to help.
Hillsborough County Fire Rescue's social media accounts were flooded with grateful messages
