Florida residents are trying to pick up the pieces after the latest hurricane.
The storm created an uncomfortable situation for one resident.
And a Florida man was horrified to return home and find this unwelcome guest in his pool.
The hurricane opens the door for animals to go exploring
Hurricane Milton slammed into Siesta Key, Florida bringing high winds and torrential rains.
The storm made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane before it was downgraded to Category 1 as it made its way across the state toward the Atlantic Ocean.
Millions of Floridians evacuated before Milton hit.
Emile De Cuba left his home in Stuart, Florida to ride out the hurricane at his mother-in-law’s home in Vero Beach.
He returned home after three days and found that his house had not sustained any serious damage from Milton.
But De Cuba noticed that his backyard swimming pool had a new guest upon his return.
A four-foot alligator was relaxing in the pool.
“I came home yesterday at around 11:30, and when I went by my sliding door I went ‘Woah!’,” De Cuba said.
“It was quite a shock,” De Cuba told WPTV. “I’ve never seen anything like it before.”
He speculated that the alligator came from the retention pond near his home.
De Cuba wondered how it had gotten into the pool since his backyard was surrounded by a fence.
He called the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC) to remove the unwelcome guest from his pool.
“The yard is pretty guarded, we have a wooden fence on one side and a chain-link fence on the other with a bunch of vegetation,” De Cuba explained. “The wildlife officer told me that it probably went over the chain-link fence because they can climb those.”
FWC wildlife officers were able to successfully remove the alligator from his pool.
“The first thing (FWC) asked me was if there was a retention pond around here,” De Cuba said. “They said it commonly happens after these storms, (alligators) get confused.”
De Cuba said that his plan was to put something on his chain link fence to prevent the alligator from crawling over it again.
More strange visitors in pools
An alligator finding its way into a pool in Florida is not an uncommon experience, especially after a hurricane.
But a resident of Bedford, New Hampshire discovered a shocking guest in his pool after he shut down it for the fall.
A moose had gotten into it.
Can you imagine finding a moose in your pool?!? This happened today in Bedford, NH https://t.co/Dx68xzLizO@7News @spann pic.twitter.com/HPsWb8qRd7
— Stephen Quinn (@stephenquinntv) October 3, 2024
The homeowner had to call in the police and fire department to remove the animal from the pool.
“First responders arrived to find an adult moose in a swimming pool under a pool cover, and removed the cover to help enable the moose to get out of the pool,” Bedford Police said in a statement. “The moose then walked out of the pool on its own and left the area. No further action was taken.”
Bedford Police Chief Daniel Douidi said the homeowner made the right move by calling in for help.
“I want to remind residents that moose can be very dangerous animals due to their size, and we appreciate that residents called us this morning to assist with this situation,” Douidi said. “We’re pleased that no people or animals were harmed in this incident.”
DeSantis Daily will keep you up-to-date on any new developments in this ongoing story.
