Will Peratino and his partner Lauren Stepp would not leave their Pine Island compound, despite authorities pleaded with residents to abandon their homes because of damaged roads.
They included a collapsed bridge that was preventing deliveries of food, gas and other life-sustaining supplies.
But the couple could not leave without their two lemurs and flock of birds — 275 parrots, including some of the world's rarest.
So a rescue mission — dubbed “Operation Noah's Ark” — was launched on Tuesday to catch, cage and ferry the birds off the island, as a condition for Mr Peratino and Ms Stepp leaving the island.
“We would not abandon them. I would never leave them. Never,” said Ms Stepp, as volunteers collected the flock from dozens of coops at the Malama Manu Sanctuary.
“If they cannot be fed or watered, they will die. And I can’t live with that."
“Malama” is the Hawaiian word for protect; “manu” means bird.
The birds have been relying on food donated by wildlife officials since Hurricane Ian hit.
But the supply of fruit, peanuts and other edibles would soon be hard to come by with the bridge being down and the scarcity of petrol on the island.
Hurricane Ian battered south-west Florida a week ago with 250kph gusts, making some roads impassable and islands inaccessible. Heavy rain and wind-driven ocean surges brought dangerous flooding.
In the hours before the storm, the sanctuary owners herded their flock of birds and packed them into their home to shield them from the ferocity of the elements.
"You don't know what we've been through here. We had four feet of water in the house, damned near drowned," Mr Peratino said, before succumbing to tears.
Many of the birds were rescued from homes that could no longer care for them. Some are used for breeding rare species.
“To have every bird safe is a huge undertaking,” Mr Peratino said. “I mean, it's almost impossible to do. So the kind of help we've gotten has been invaluable.”
Ghassan Abboud, who owns a bird farm in West Palm Beach, is an acquaintance of the sanctuary owners. When he heard of their plight, he mustered his resources to help.
Mr Abboud had imagined commissioning a small boat to ferry cages from Pine Island to a dock on the mainland, where an air-conditioned trailer would take them to his property across the Florida peninsula.
But by chance he came across the Project Dynamo team, who have been volunteering to help rescue people stranded by floods and damaged roads. Project Dynamo assembled four boats and launched their mission.
“I could never write a script like this. It was perfect," Mr Abboud said. "I thought I'd be back all day long in a small boat.
"What these guys have done has been unimaginable. They dedicated their resources. They saved so many birds."
Hemingway's granddaughter fears hurricane will destroy writer's home
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
The schedule
December 5 - 23: Shooting competition, Al Dhafra Shooting Club
December 9 - 24: Handicrafts competition, from 4pm until 10pm, Heritage Souq
December 11 - 20: Dates competition, from 4pm
December 12 - 20: Sour milk competition
December 13: Falcon beauty competition
December 14 and 20: Saluki races
December 15: Arabian horse races, from 4pm
December 16 - 19: Falconry competition
December 18: Camel milk competition, from 7.30 - 9.30 am
December 20 and 21: Sheep beauty competition, from 10am
December 22: The best herd of 30 camels
Key Points
- Protests against President Omar Al Bashir enter their sixth day
- Reports of President Bashir's resignation and arrests of senior government officials
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Xpanceo
Started: 2018
Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality
Funding: $40 million
Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
All Blacks line-up for third Test
J Barrett; I Dagg, A Lienert-Brown, N Laumape, J Savea; B Barrett, A Smith; J Moody, C Taylor, O Franks, B Retallick, S Whitelock, J Kaino, S Cane, K Read (capt).
Replacements: N Harris, W Crockett, C Faumuina, S Barrett, A Savea, TJ Perenara, A Cruden, M Fekitoa.
RACE CARD
5pm: Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,400m
5.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh70,000 1,000m
6pm: Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 2,000m
6.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 2,000m
7pm: Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 1,600m
7.30pm: Al Ain Mile Group 3 (PA) Dh350,000 1,600m
8pm: Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,600m
Amith's selections:
5pm: AF Sail
5.30pm: Dahawi
6pm: Taajer
6.30pm: Pharitz Oubai
7pm: Winked
7.30pm: Shahm
8pm: Raniah
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
MATCH INFO
Southampton 0
Manchester City 1 (Sterling 16')
Man of the match: Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City)
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
