HGTV Stars ‘Heartbroken’ & ‘Grateful’ After Surviving Powerful Hurricane Milton

After Hurricane Milton barreled through their hometown of Tampa, “100 Day Dream Home” stars Brian and Mika Kleinschmidt are feeling thankful that their family is “safe and sound” and that the damage to their home is “fixable.” They are among multiple Florida-based HGTV stars who survived the harrowing storm and are still processing the destruction it left behind.

Hurricane Milton slammed into the Gulf Coast as a Category 3 storm on the evening of October 9, 2024, leaving over three million Floridians without power and at least eight people dead, according to the Associated Press.

The hurricane made its way across the state and spawned destructive tornadoes in areas that didn’t expect to be impacted by the storm, the outlet reported, including west coast cities that are home to HGTV stars Bryan and Sarah Baeumler, who captured stunning footage of a tornado out their windows, as well as Galey Alix, who wrote that “the tornadoes were the scariest part for my area and they did so much damage.”

---

HGTV’s Mika & Brian Kleinschmidt Rode Out Storm With Family in Tampa

The Kleinschmidts said they chose to stay in Florida to be close to family as the powerful storm approached Florida’s Gulf Coast on October 9. They spent the night at Brian’s parents’ house, which was further inland than their own home, Mika shared in an overnight Instagram Story.

Though a last-minute “wobble” in Hurricane Milton’s course spared Tampa from the worst of the storm’s wrath, according to the Tampa Bay Times, officials urged residents to stay off the roads the following day as authorities were in the “early stages” of assessing damage — including the obliterated roof of the Tampa Bay Rays’ Tropicana Field — while dealing with flooding and power outages.

The next day, the Kleinschmidts were relieved to find their home mostly intact, though Brian shared an Instagram Story with video of damage on their front porch, including portions of their exterior wall and ceiling completely gone. Mika pointed out they were lucky to have “no major flooding.”

In another Instagram Story from the back of their house where some of their screens were mangled, Mika told fans, “We just got back to our house — yes, we have a house to come back to — and I am so grateful. You can see behind me, we have a little bit of damage there, a couple of screens, the front porch, but honestly no complaints. We are safe and sound. No power still, but family’s good, dogs are good.”

“I’m going on about two hours of sleep,” she laughed, “and oh, by the way, it’s my and Brian’s anniversary. This is the epitome of our relationship — strong foundation,  but sometimes some bumps along the way.”

To mark their 10th anniversary, Brian posted a photo from their wedding and wrote, “I’ll love you forever no matter the weather.🌀💕 Happy Anniversary! 😘”

The two spent their anniversary assessing damage in their neighborhood and feeling grateful they were okay.

“Honestly though, guys, I feel like I just want to say thank you to everybody that’s reached out to us,” Mika wrote in her Instagram Story, “and we’re gonna go assess the damage of the surrounding area, our neighbors, our family, our friends, and we will be posting later on how you can support this hurricane recovery from Helene and now Milton.”

“Okay, give us a break,” she added. “Florida needs a break now. Love you, guys.”

---

Bryan Baeumler Shares Jaw-Dropping Footage of Tornado From Their Florida Home

While the Kleinschmidts evacuated their home, knowing they were in the direct path of Hurricane Milton, Alix and the Baeumlers did not expect to deal with equally severe weather on the east coast of the state. According to USA Today, Alix’s hometown of Fort Lauderdale was hit by massive tornadoes, as was the town of Wellington, where the Baeumlers have their primary residence.

On the evening of October 10, Bryan Baeumler posted an update on his family, sharing a video that included jaw-dropping footage of a swirling tornado touching ground, filmed through their back windows.

“Despite multiple tornados touching down immediately around us,” Baeumler wrote, “everyone is safe and we did not sustain any major damage. We were extremely lucky…but many people were not. We are heartbroken for the lives lost, and people whose World’s have been turned upside down.”

Including video of the wreckage left behind in their community, he continued, “It has been incredible to see and hear of people reaching out and helping others, and all the professionals on the front lines.”

Baeumler concluded, “Take a moment to count your lucky stars and help other people out if, when and where you can – not just in your neighbourhood, but wherever that help may be needed next door or around the World.”

Meanwhile, in an Instagram Story Alix posted on the morning of October 10, she wrote that her dog Patch and she “made it through the storm & now it’s time for clean-up,” adding that she was grateful not to have flooding and to still have power.

“My heart and prayers are with Tampa and everyone along that coast and all the homes impacted by tornadoes around me,” she continued.

Alix also shared a video in her Stories of a nearby neighborhood severely damaged by a tornado that ripped through it, and promised to help residents there rebuild. She later wrote that the area had a “devastating number of tornadoes” but that the victims she talked to wanted to wait to have their damage assessed for insurance purposes before beginning to clean and rebuild.

0 Comments