Escaping Hurricane Irma: 7 Stories Of Uncommon Kindness, Generosity And Goodness

Perhaps it was all the death, damage and human misery wrought by Hurricane Irma that nudged people to be nicer and kinder. Or is it that basic human decency sticks out so starkly because of its contrasts against the violence and destruction of the storm?

Whatever the reason, we're glad to share seven stories of extraordinary kindness, unexpected generosity, uncommon decency and even humor, each a found treasure as Irma wreaked havoc up and down the Florida peninsula:

1. This woman traveled 30 miles and found a lifesaver in Orlando.

The situation was urgent for Pam Brekke. Her father needs supplemental oxygen to breathe, and she rushed to a Lowe’s home improvement store in Orlando to buy a generator, only to find the last one in stock had already been claimed by customer Ramon Santiago. Breaking down in tears, Brekke explained to store managers that finding a generator was a matter of life or death. Santiago overheard and insisted Brekke take the generator he had planned to cart home.

“She needed the generator,” Santiago told WFTV. “It’s OK. No worry for them.”

Brekke said she was “overwhelmed” by the generosity. “God will bless that man,” she told the TV station.

2. This couple from Brandon found unbelievable generosity.

Deanna Feist and her husband evacuated in advance of the menacing storm and were about to stop for lunch at The Old Mill restaurant in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, when “all the lights in our dash came on, from airbags to tire pressure,” she wrote on Facebook.

The stubborn engine refused to turn over, so the Feists asked a man in the car next to them to give them a jumpstart. As it turned out, he was a fellow named Mo Tamaddoni, who had managed the restaurant for 23 years. He not only helped them out but also bumped them ahead in the line to get a table. Their lunch arrived quickly, too, and what happened next is sweeter than any dessert on the menu.

“As we finished up, our waitress put an envelope on our table and said it was from the manager, and that our meals were on the house,” Feist wrote in her post. “Inside was a voucher for free meals, $200 cash and a letter.”

Tamaddoni figured the Feists were evacuees. He has a brother who lives in Tallahassee, ironically a shelter for Irma evacuees but hit hard in the by-then tropical storm’s final strike before leaving Florida Monday.

“I am saddened to see such devastation in this beautiful state,” Tamaddoni wrote. “I hope everything will turn out OK for you guys. Enclosed please accept my gift to you in case you need to buy a battery for your car. Also I am enclosing a meal ticket so you can come back to eat here. Good luck and thanks for visiting my restaurant.”

Her faith in the goodness of people affirmed, Feist called Tamaddoni a “godsend” and promised to “pay it forward.”

3. This couple from Punta Gorda found a cop who’s been there, done that, survived it and gets it.

Jean and Patrick Grady decided to get out of Irma’s way and ended up at a New Orleans restaurant, where they struck up a conversation with a local cop seated next to them. Of course, the talk turned to hurricanes. He had survived back-to-back hurricanes — Charley in 2004 and Katrina in 2005, but now lives with his family in a FEMA trailer. Six of seven of his immediate family members lost their homes, too.

They shook hands as he parted but never exchanged names. When the Gradys’ check came, it had been covered. Who was the generous, caring policeman? they wondered in a letter to the editor of The Times-Picayune.

“This simple, unexpected act of kindness brightened an otherwise worrying day," they wrote. "He knew what devastation a hurricane can do and was genuinely concerned about us. And we don't even know his name so we can thank him. The New Orleans Police Department is fortunate to have such a generous and caring man on staff.”

4. This senior citizen in Clearwater found her personal cavalry.

As Irma bore down on Florida, Rachel Copeland was worried about how Betty Helmuth, her 94-year-old grandmother, would fare in the storm. Helmuth lives alone and doesn’t drive, so Copeland asked the Clearwater Police Department if officers might relay need-to-know information to her grandmother on Facebook. Their concern for the woman went a jillion times farther. Watch the videos to find out what happened.

5. This little girl in West Park found her courage.

On Saturday night, the wind was howling, and the roof of an 8-year-old’s home caught fire. She woke up just in time, and her act of bravery alerted the 10 adults and five children living there to get out fast, potentially saving their lives, the Broward County, Sheriff, Fire and Rescue said on Twitter.

“I smelled fire, so I jumped out of the bed, and my mom woke up too,” the girl told WSVN-TV, “so she told me to go over there and look by the window, and it was fire.”

The girl and her mother raced through the house, alerting everyone, while a cousin called 911.

6. This first responder in Coral Springs found the American flag.

After the hurricane moved through Coral Springs, a first responder reached down Monday and retrieved an American flag that had blown in the street. Making the gesture more poignant, Monday was the 16th anniversary of 9/11.

7. This guy in a superhero costume in Bradenton found a way to make Floridians laugh.

Cheryl Hanbury stepped outside her Bradenton home Monday and saw a man dressed as Spider-Man tackling a pair of trees that had fallen across the road. Hanbury said on Facebook she doesn’t know who the Spider-Man dude was, writing that it was “just a cool thing that happened.”

Bonus! This Florida couple returned home with their baby born during Hurricane Irma.

Photo via Clearwater Police Department Facebook page