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After making landfall near Siesta Key on Wednesday night, Hurricane Milton is now moving off Florida's east coast, but not without leaving behind damaging winds and life-threatening floods Thursday morning.

Even before Milton struck as a powerful Category 3 hurricane, its outer bands swept across the state, causing tornadoes and giving residents a glimpse of the storm's intensity.

Denise Bohnsack, a former Bartian residing near Cape Canaveral, is currently sheltering in her condominium as the hurricane weakens to a Category 1. Despite the downgrade, the storm remains hazardous. One of Denise’s neighbors, Margaret, experienced panic during the storm and inadvertently triggered the building's fire alarm. Denise found her and worked to calm her fears.

To help soothe Margaret, Denise recalled a song she wrote for schoolchildren affected by a tornado in Moore, Oklahoma. She wrote that inspired by the young children in the tornado at the school. When the tornado hit Moore and the teachers threw their bodies over the students and prayed over them. Even though praying was not allowed in the school  The song’s chorus goes:

"The Lord is my umbrella in the rain. He’s with me through the storm and when the sun comes out again. The weather may be dreary. But the Lord is always near me. The Lord is my umbrella in the rain!"

As Denise began to sing, Margaret later joined in, and together they found solace in the melody, managing to stay calm as the storm passed. Fortunately, both women emerged unharmed as Hurricane Milton continued its path out to sea.

Earlier, Milton unleashed its fury on west Florida, bringing torrential rain and winds of up to 120 mph, which were powerful enough to tear the roof off Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, a venue housing thousands of first responders.

The storm is expected to maintain its hurricane status until it exits Florida's eastern coastline.