School custodian gets new car after tornadoes spawned by Hurricane Milton destroyed his vehicles

THEMSELVES OR TO OTHERS. NEW AT SIX. THIS WEEK MARKS TWO MONTHS SINCE THAT DEADLY TORNADO OUTBREAK FROM HURRICANE MILTON DEVASTATED PARTS OF OUR AREA FROM THE PALM BEACHES TO THE TREASURE COAST. MURRAY MIDDLE SCHOOL IN PORT SALERNO SAW EXTENSIVE DAMAGE, AS DID NEARBY HOMES AND BUSINESSES. THE SCHOOL’S CUSTODIAN WAS AMONG THOSE DEALING WITH THE DESTRUCTION AFTER HIS FAMILY’S HOME AND CARS WERE DAMAGED IN THE STORM. OUR ANGELA ROZIER SHOWS US HOW HIS COMMUNITY CAME TOGETHER TO GIVE HIM A SPECIAL GIFT. I CAN’T, I CAN’T IMAGINE. I TOLD YOU, I TOLD YOU I WAS GOING TO MAKE IT HAPPEN. ISRAEL CRUZ COULDN’T BELIEVE IT, BUT IT HAPPENED. IN FACT, WHEN HE WAS TOLD HE NEEDED TO ATTEND A SCHOOL MEETING, HIS WIFE SAYS HE DIDN’T KNOW WHAT WAS GOING ON, BUT HE THOUGHT HE WAS IN TROUBLE. I THINK EXACTLY, I GOT IN TROUBLE. YEAH, HE SAYS. I’VE BEEN THINKING ALL DAY, WHAT’S GOING ON? MURRAY, MIDDLE SCHOOL CUSTODIAN, WAS PRESENTED WITH A NEW CAR TUESDAY AFTERNOON WHEN MARTIN COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT OFFICIALS FOUND OUT HE LOST HIS VEHICLES AND HIS HOUSE WAS DAMAGED FROM TORNADOES SPAWNED BY HURRICANE MILTON. PTA MEMBER CHRISTIE RAUSCH AND HER HUSBAND, KEVIN, GOT TO WORK. WE WENT ABOUT. HE TEXTED A NEIGHBOR WHO JUST HE WAS LIKE, DO YOU WANT TO DO A GOD THING? AND HE WAS LIKE, YEP, I’M IN. TELL ME HOW MUCH WHAT YOU NEED. WHERE? AND I TEXTED A BUNCH OF FRIENDS AND PEOPLE JUST STARTED ANSWERING BACK, SENDING MONEY. AND WE WERE ABLE TO MAKE IT HAPPEN. THEY PARTNERED WITH THE CHURCH AND WALLACE NISSAN TO LAUNCH A FUNDRAISER. THEY RAISED $9,700. WHEN SOMEBODY TELLS YOU THEY’RE GOING TO GET YOU A CAR, THEY’RE KIND OF LIKE, YEAH, WHATEVER. MAYBE. BUT I THINK IT WAS AWESOME TO SEE IT COME TO FRUITION. AND WITH THE HELP OF SO MANY OTHER PEOPLE. BIG SMILES. SCHOOL OFFICIALS SAY THEY WANTED TO HELP BECAUSE CRUZ HAS BECOME A BELOVED FIGURE IN THE SCHOOL. CRUZ AND HIS FAMILY ARE THANKFUL. IT MEANS A LOT TO US. I’M SO THANKFUL FOR FOR ALL. YEAH, FOR FOR THIS. FOR I MEAN, FOR EVERYTHING. THEY’VE BEEN DOING A LOT, ACTUALLY. THEY WENT HOME, THEY PURCHASED WATER AND EATING FOOD. YEAH. THEY’VE BEEN SO NICE TO US.