Dog rescued from Hurricane Milton debris reunited with family on live TV

A little dog named Lulu is set to be reunited with her owners after being rescued from the wreckage of Hurricane Milton.

Lulu was staying at Spanish Lakes Country Club Village, a retirement community in Fort Pierce, Florida, that was hit by the hurricane on October 10th, according to CBS News.

CBS News Miami reporter Morgan Rynor ​​announced Lulu's rescue on air while discussing the damage caused by Hurricane Milton, a category three storm that made landfall in Florida on October 9.

Lulu, a 14-year-old Shih Tzu who has been missing since the hurricane's onslaught.

The neighbor who rescued Lulu initially mistook her for another neighborhood dog, Benji, who was safe with his owners.

When Lulu was discovered, Rynor ​​said, “He's got Benji!” He got Benji, oh my god! I can’t believe I’m starting this with good news.”

She held Lulu and continued, “Look at this pile of rubble here on my left side. About two seconds ago we just pulled out this little tiny dog ​​named Benji who has been missing since last night.”

It was later discovered that the dog was actually Lulu and that her owners were victims of the hurricane.

After her rescue, Lulu was taken to the vet.

Indian River County resident Victor Linero confirmed that Lulu had been living with his grandfather Alejandro Alonso and his girlfriend Mary Grace Viramontez and he will now become her owner.

According to Linero's confirmation to WPTV, Alonso and Viramontez were killed by a tornado caused by the hurricane.

Linero has also taken in the couple's other dog, Shiba, a Rotweiler, and his cousin Mikayla Rivera has set up a GoFundMe page for him.

Calling for help for her cousin, Rivera wrote: “We are raising funds to finance the continued care of Lulu and Shiba. Lulu, who was shaken, is receiving necessary veterinary care, while Shiba, who was presumed lost, was later discovered and reunited with us.

She continued, “These dogs were everything to Alejandro, and we are committed to providing them with the love, medical care and safe homes they need as they recover from this traumatic event.”

According to CBS, Alonso and Viramontez were among six residents of the 55-year-old retirement community who lost their lives during the hurricane when 12 strong tornadoes hit the area Wednesday evening.

St. Lucie County Sheriff Keith Pearson said his officers and emergency crews conducted searches at the retirement community, saying, according to CBS12, “This is like nothing else we've seen.”

Hurricane Milton left several people dead and left more than three million people without power. In an update on Oct. 10, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' office said 106 people and 18 animals were rescued by Urban Search and Rescue Teams and the Florida National Guard.

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