Cops Rescue 'Alone and Scared' Kitten From Hurricane Ian, Name Her Stormie

Hurricane Ian wreaked havoc on Florida and the surrounding states on Wednesday and Thursday, causing flooding, power outages and at least 21 deaths.

But amongst the devastation, local heroes have been putting themselves in danger to help others. That includes two Tampa Police officers going out of their way to save a lost kitten during the peak of the hurricane.

Spotted wandering alone on the streets, the officers took the tiny feline to the local vet, who within an hour had found the animal a new home.

The estimated cost of the destruction from Hurricane Ian, which hit Florida this week as a Category 4 storm, so far is between $100 billion and $120 billion. At the time of writing, almost 2 million Florida residents are without power, including 80 percent of Fort Myers.

Seven hundred people have been rescued from Charlotte and Lee counties, believed to be the areas hardest hit by the storm. There are reports of survivors still trapped in their homes by flooding.

Ian is now headed towards North and South Carolina. After being downgraded to a tropical storm yesterday, it has restrengthened into a hurricane, with South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster declaring a state of emergency.

'Bright Spot in the Storm'

In a post shared on the department's Facebook page, TampaPD described the kitten as a "bright spot in the storm."

"At the height of #hurricaneian impacting our area, two #TampaPD officers patrolling the streets spotted this adorable kitten alone and scared in the middle of Florida Ave," the post read. "They welcomed her into their patrol vehicle, drove her to the Veterinary Emergency Group and within an hour, found a family willing to give her a home."

The rescuers were Officer Rose Angelakopoulos and Reserve Officer Barry Moskowitz, who volunteered to help during the storm. The pair wanted to name the kitten Ian, but after finding out she's a girl, decided to name her Stormie instead.

Angelakopoulos told Newsweek that she first mistook the kitten for a "bag in the wind."

"Winds were in the 30 MPH range and it was raining and cold," she said. "I told my partner Barry, 'I think that is a cat.' He said he had no idea what I was talking about. I then turned around and told him that there is a cat in the middle of the road and we needed to get her."

After grabbing Stormie, Angelakopoulos wrapped her in towels and held her to her chest.

"She was absolutely terrified and cold," she said. "When I held her I saw ants on her and picked them off. I then tried to sit her on our floorboard and she latched on to me for dear life, so I kept her on my lap as we drove to the nearest vet."

Once they arrived at the vet, it took over an hour for Stormie to warm up.

"They were glad we found her," Angelakopoulos said. "She would have not survived out there."

It wasn't just Tampa police who were taken with Stormie. Moskowitz called his friend Alecia, with the animal lover more than happy to take in the stray kitten.

Facebook users thanked the two officers for rescuing Stormie, with several calling them "heroes."

"Oh this is a very happy report," said Julie Smith.

"God bless Our First Responders!," wrote Lora Misak.

"What a lucky little girl!!" commented Donna Gross. "Thank god for those big-hearted officers."

Newsweek reached out to the Tampa Police Department for comment.

Update 10/03/22 03.41 a.m. ET: This article was updated to include photographs from the Tampa Police Department.