Hurricane Milton unearths Florida couple’s long-lost wedding ring

A Florida couple made a heartwarming discovery in the wake of Hurricane Milton – a wedding ring that had been lost for nearly a decade.

Laura and Basil Yorio from Palm Bay, Florida, were forced to evacuate their home as the category 3 storm made landfall on Wednesday (October 9) evening with 120 mph winds. When they returned home the following day, Laura noticed something glimmering in their backyard.

“I looked down and saw a silver ring and thought it was like a key ring,” she told Fox 35 Orlando. She later realized the item was her husband’s wedding band he had lost nearly 10 years ago.

“We had a construction project about nine years ago, and it just disappeared,” Laura said. The couple had searched their yard several times over the years, and even hired a weekly landscaper to mow their lawn.

The couple told the outlet they believe it was Hurricane Milton’s heavy rains that helped unearth the long-lost ring from the soil.

“We’re very mindful that a lot of people are going through terrible things, and I feel almost a little guilty feeling happy about all of this, but it was something good,” Laura said. “After a rough couple of days, it was a happy ending.”

Hurricane Milton touched down near Sarasota County’s Siesta Key on October 9, spawning dozens of tornadoes, 28ft waves, strong winds, heavy rainfall, and devastating storm surge. At least 17 people have been killed as a result of the hurricane, while more than 1.6 million homes were left without power across Florida as of Saturday morning.

Meanwhile, a phosphate mine operator warned that during the storm its facility dumped thousands of gallons of pollution into Tampa Bay as drains overflowed.

Authorities and residents are working to assess the extent of the damage from the storm, with those in the west-central region the worst impacted. More than 50,000 linemen have been deployed in an effort to restore power, Governor Ron DeSantis said.

Nevertheless, DeSantis denied that the climate crisis was making hurricanes more powerful at a press conference on Thursday.

“There is precedent for all this in history,” DeSantis said. “It is hurricane season. You are going to have tropical weather.”