Day 46 (Thurs., Oct. 27)

I woke up and the guy on the news coverage said the airport was open. Woohoo! I rushed over and returned the rental car. I had bitter-sweet feelings at the rental place. The company waived the gas charge and the two extra days I kept the car because it wasn't my fault they were close. But I still had to pay for the taxes and insurance coverage for the extra days, which doubled the amount I would have paid for just one day. Well, I guess it was worth it. But man!

After rushing in and out of the airport I made it over to Deerfield Beach. I was scared that I would be in trouble for not knowing that the office there was open. I was put into an uncomfortable position because the Ft. Lauderdale security guard didn't give me the right info. So, I got to the office. They were glad to see me and within minutes of my arrival I was handed a map.

"Go there," deputy photo editor Rolando Otero said. "There a dead person and some fire rescue people went to the hospital."

Wow! Talk about hitting the ground running. "Let's roll," I said and jumped on "La Huera" and got to work.

I hung out at the scene for quite a while. Turns out there were seven people inside a house where a power generator had been running inside all night long. One person, a 48-year-old man died, and nine others were taken to the hospital, including six house members and three fire rescue workers.

It's really sad to hear what happened. I am new to hurricanes being that this is my first time in Florida. But I have heard the message a thousand times. "Don't run generators inside the house, put them outside in well ventilated areas" is what I have been hearing over and over.

So, I am sure someone who has made their living in hurricane zone probably heard the message. Well, apparently not at this house. The carbon monoxide gasses that build up killed the man and forced the others to the hospital. The gasses were so strong that the three fire rescue workers were overwhelmed when they came into the house. That's scary. People need to read the warning signs and pay attention. This is a fatality that could have been prevented.

Last week I was complimented in my bilingual skills by Katy Stech of Syracuse University. This week those skills helped out again. The man above is the boyfriend of one of the victims that was sent to the hospital. I shot the photos and went over to talk to him. He spoke Spanish and I was able to communicate. The fact that I spoke his language allowed him to open up. Later, television crews approached him and they weren't successful. So, I got the info that they could have used. It sure helps to be bilingual. Cool!

I felt good about myself, but it was sad to hear the way the guy talked about the people in the house. The man who died was one of his co-workers and he seemed pretty upset over what happened.

It was a sad assignment, but I hope that in covering this story and publishing it, the people get the message. Please! Learn from this!

The generator was put into a Sheriff's van and it was taken away.

After submitting my photos I realized how cool it is to be part of the Sun-Sentinel team. Our Deerfield Beach location is where we publish the newspaper, the trucks are loaded and the editions go out to all of South Florida. Since we have our trucks, we also have our gas. And since we cannot afford to wait five hours in line for gas, we have the luxury of getting gas on sight. I waited 10 minutes in line and got my gas, at $3 per gallon to be taken off my next pay check. Wow! That's luxury. I love this team.

After gassing up, I headed out with reporter Chris Kahn to Westside Regional Medical Center. That's where FEMA set up a camp on the parking lot of the hospital to help alleviate the overflow in the emergency room.

After work I headed home and relaxed. I felt good to finally do my part in the Sun-Sentinel's hurricane coverage. It feels good to be part of a team.

After a canned-food dinner I am ready for bed. Today was a very dramatic day.

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