Arizona Cardinals photographer's home damaged by Hurricane Helene, but son's urn was left untouched
PHOENIX - A photographer with the Arizona Cardinals was affected by Hurricane Helene, although he was covering a game when the devastation hit.
Just this week, he flew back to St. Pete Beach, Florida to gather what he could from his home.
Gene Lower and his wife Taryn recently made the move to Florida for a fresh start. Never did they imagine less than two months after moving there what would happen to their home and all of their belongings.
"The apocalypse honestly," Taryn said. "I've never seen such devastation in all my life."
Hurricane Helene left a trail of destruction, and along that path, was the Lowers home in St. Pete Beach.
"It was just devastating. My wife had sent me a video of this and explained to me what happened, but seeing it for the first time myself … I couldn't believe the devastation that had taken place," Gene said.
He's thankful his home is still standing, but the water damage was visible from the outside. Nearly everything in their home was a total loss.
The floors, walls and electrical all need to be replaced. One thing he can't replace – decades of his photography work.
Join the effort: How you can help Hurricane Helene's devastated communities
Relief efforts are underway, with government agencies and aid organizations like the American Red Cross, Samaritan's Purse, and the Salvation Army providing assistance.
"As a photographer, I had my photography history of all my slides and negatives before the digital age. I had all those in the huge plastic tubs and every single one of those was filled to the brim with water," he said.
This devastation sits on top of losing their 16-year-old son last year, which is why the family wanted Florida to be their fresh start.
Through the destruction, they are thankful their most precious possession left in their home was untouched.
"Everything was turned upside down, crumbled, destroyed, except for our son's urn, which was a little stand in the corner that stood in place unaffected by everything else around us and that was just quite an eye-opening experience," Gene said.
The Lowers are staying positive, knowing they still have everything they need.
"We're not the most religious people in the world, but it certainly felt like some kind of sign," Gene said.
The Lowers say their landlord is already taking care of all the repairs, and they are hoping to be back in their home in the next few months.