TULSA, Okla. — Thousands of Floridians are cleaning up after being hit by back-to-back hurricanes in recent weeks including an Oklahoma couple who retired to the state.
Pam O'Halloran-Blevins and Randy Blevins split their time between Oklahoma and Florida.
With a condo on the Gulf side of the state near Bradenton, O'Halloran-Blevins said she was drawn to the area because it has been spared by hurricanes for decades.
However, that streak came to an end with Hurricanes Helene in Milton.
O'Halloran-Blevins said Helene brought the rain, then Milton slammed it with wind.
"But I would prefer, if I had a natural disaster, to be in Oklahoma and have a tornado versus a Florida hurricane," O'Halloran-Blevins said.
2 News could only get ahold of O'Halloran-Blevins through a Facetime call on Facebook Messenger. That's because the area is still struggling with internet and cell service.
Despite the cell signal, the call allowed O'Halloran-Blevins to walk us through the damage in her community.
"I took a walk the other day to the Bayfront, and I physically just got sick. I had to stop and get sick. This is just heartbreaking," she said.
Both she and her husband are from Oklahoma, and they grew up surrounded by the Oklahoma standard.
That motivated them to do what they could to help their adopted town.
"The clothes and the things here I can wash and take home and fix them up and return and box them up. It works for us retirees that we can do without heavy lifting and things like that," O'Halloran-Blevins said.
During Hurricane Milton, the Blevins evacuated to Sarasota, needing to stay close to the dialysis clinic where Blevins gets his treatments. That added to an experience they already won't forget.
"We got to be in the eye of the storm. We have never been in the eye of a hurricane before, so that was kind of like our Oklahoma tornadoes when everything is silent. And we are all just in a cleanup mode and just thankful. We can replace things but we can’t replace each other," she said.
They didn't want to leave Florida after the storm; instead, they stayed to help their neighbors get back on their feet.
This returned the grace and love that so many did before and after the storm.
"The lineman and national guard all their trucks up and down Sarasota. Unbelievable all the help," said O'Halloran-Blevins
Now, she eagerly awaits the day she can volunteer again at Mote Aquarium and resume her turtle nest patrol.
"The good news is when we come back this time next year you will probably never know. Everything will be green and cleaned up and you probably would never even know we had back-to-back hurricanes. I guess that’s the blessing. That’s Mother Nature. You don’t mess with Mother Nature," said O'Halloran-Blevins.
Shortly after the call she was ready to get off the phone to continue volunteering to help those around her.
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere --
- Download our free app for Apple, Android and Kindle devices.
- Sign up for daily newsletters emailed to you
- Like us on Facebook
- Follow us on Instagram
- SUBSCRIBE on YouTube
