Like many of the people I've interviewed, I remember Oct. 9 quite vividly. I was reporting up in Vero Beach, getting ready to report on the conditions of the approaching Hurricane Milton.
It was supposed to be the easier day — the calm before the hurricane hit Florida.
As we all know too well, it turned out to be quite the opposite.
From the moment my phone started chiming with a cacophony of emergency alerts, to the grueling seconds my photojournalist and I spent riding out two separate tornadoes in a Vero Beach hotel, I knew this was going to be a day we'd need to document forever.
That feeling was confirmed soon after, when we began hearing of fatalities in the Spanish Lakes Country Club Community of Fort Pierce, and of widespread devastation throughout our five-county viewing area.
It was devastation we soon saw with our own eyes. Devastation that was quite literally breathtaking: but in the worst way possible.
And I remember reporting the morning of Oct. 10, thinking to myself, this isn't just a community that's been hit. This is MY community. This is our community.
So when the chaos of the aftermath began to die down, for myself and my colleagues at WPTV, it was clear what we needed to do: fundraise for those affected, and make sure what our hardest hit neighbors went through isn't forgotten.
That idea sparked WPTV to create the documentary "The Day the Sky Turned."
The documentary started as a way to find answers to the endless list of questions so many of us had in the wake of Hurricane Milton.
How many tornadoes actually spawned? How powerful were they? And how, with a hurricane still so far away from landfall, in a state that rarely sees tornado ratings above an EF2, did we have so many powerful twisters in such a short amount of time?
It was unprecedented in our state. And to many of us, it made absolutely no sense.
To get answers, I began to pour over pages and pages of reports from the National Weather Service, tracking the coordinates of each tornado that spawned, and documenting the damage each one caused along the way.
I then formed a map and a timeline: outlining which tornado spawned when, what it hit, what damage it caused, and exactly how long and how wide each twister's track was.
That gave us the blueprint to begin gathering the rest of our elements.
Then, with help from colleagues, I set out to obtain all the footage we could that documented the tornadoes and the responses after the storm.
From body camera footage, to 911 calls, surveillance video and cellphone clips, WPTV requested it all.
It wasn't an easy feat, either: once we got the content we needed, it took hours of combing through each and every clip: annotating the most compelling and even the most disturbing moments.
Every little bit of evidence helped us communicate the magnitude of destruction each funnel delivered.
Then came my favorite part of the documentary-producing process: hearing the stories of those affected.
Some of those we interviewed were familiar faces, like Diana Dotson of New Monrovia Park. I met her on Oct. 11, two days after an EF2 tornado destroyed her home and many of the homes on her street.
She cried as we hugged for several minutes. She felt lost, and I felt helpless. All I could offer to do was share her story in hopes it might bring her help.
Victor Linero and Brandi Smith, both of whom lost family members in the Spanish Lakes tornado, were also brought back for the documentary.
When I talked to them in the days after the tornado, I knew there was nothing I could say that would bring back Brandi's mother, nor ease the pain of losing Victor's grandfather, but I could help them memorialize their loved ones.
I could help people who never met Debra Kennedy and Alejandro Alonso understand the many lives they touched.
That's why including their stories in our documentary was a no-brainer.
However, many of the faces you'll see in "The Day the Sky Turned," are stories you've never heard before — like Charley Dahlonega of Okeechobee County and her husband, John Alberigi III.
WPTV reporter Ethan Stein was in Okeechobee County the afternoon an EF2 tornado imploded their mobile home while they were still inside.
At the time, we knew two people were injured, but we didn't know who.
I happened to come across a social media post shared by a friend of mine mentioning Charley was one of the two injured, and when I reached out to her, she was all too happy to share what happened. In fact, she hopes to write a book about it.
Her resiliency and spunk inspired me the moment I met her. Though her real name is Catline, she told me right off the bat to call her Charley. She'll tell you she's a cross between a Chevy and a Harley.
Based on the strength she's shown in the wake of Oct. 9, I certainly believe it.
That was my favorite part about putting together "The Day the Sky Turned," seeing the resiliency, strength and determination of so many people who lost so much.
So many clung to their faith to get them through, like Diana Dotson and Sherry Ruiz, who lost her cousin in the Spanish Lakes tornado.
Others, like Charley and George Bustillo — who somehow survived his house imploding with his cigar in his mouth — never gave up hope they'd rebuild.
Rosie Quaranta, who lost her home in Spanish Lakes, still radiates joy and hope despite losing every memory she owned.
Their positivity is something I am constantly applying to my own life. I hope if I ever face a challenge as daunting as theirs, I handle it like the many people I've met through this experience.
One of the biggest challenges my team and I faced putting this project together was fitting so many stories into less than an hour.
There were so many more moments of hope, so many more heroes who stepped up, and so many more stories of resiliency I could have shared.
We could have filled five hours of content. Many of us wish we could have: everyone deserves to have their stories told.
My hope is that the few accounts we did share shed light on the impact so many are still grappling with.
Though we highlighted just a few people, there are so many more still working to rebuild.
I hope, too, that "The Day the Sky Turned" begins the process of working to effect positive change.
One thing we heard over and over again from the people we interviewed was their desire that people watching take tornado warnings seriously.
Unfortunately, we've learned that many of those who were killed in Spanish Lakes had an opportunity to make it to safety.
My hope is when the next hurricane hits, those who watched our documentary will take each and every warning seriously.
I hope also that our conversations with first responders and medical professionals help spark conversations about how we can improve our response if and when this ever happens again.
It was unprecedented for all of us. If there are ways we can do better, I hope our reporting can help shed light on those improvements.
It has been one of my greatest honors as a reporter getting to hear and share the many stories of hope, loss, resiliency and love.
I thank you for taking the time to watch, to listen, and to reflect on what we now know took place on the day our sky turned.
