A young father-of-four who died during historic storms in Florida this week made a desperate phone call moments before he drowned, his heartbroken wife has said.
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wife → die → call
Joshua Bennett, 34, was on a coffee run when his truck became submerged in the raging floodwaters that tore through Palm Bay, Brevard County on Monday.
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that → become → Monday
'He called me on FaceTime, and he was just crying like, "I don't know what to do, I don't know what to do,"' his wife, Stacy Petit Bennett, told local NBC affiliate WESH2.
'
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wife → call → what
He said he's in the middle of a river, and his car was submerged with water all around.'
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car → say → water
Stacy said she urged her husband to smash his car window and escape.
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she → say → window
Their call dropped seconds later.
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call → drop → ?
She spent hours trying to get help for him, but it was too late.
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it → spend → him
The heartbroken widow remembered Bennett as the center of their family, saying he loved to bake with his children and take them jet skiing.
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he → remember → skiing
'Joshua was an amazing husband and dad,' she said.
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she → say → ?
'He has a son and three daughters.
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He → have → son
He loved to do activities with them.
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He → love → them
Stacy said she met Bennett while they were at college studying bio pre-med.
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they → say → med
Joshua Bennett, 34, a much-loved father-of-four, died after becoming trapped in his vehicle during the historic storms which lashed Palm Bay, Florida this week, his widow has revealed
Bennett died as floodwaters surged through Brevard County, Florida, amid horrific storms
Palm Bay in Brevard County, Florida, was deluged with 19.75 inches of rain on Monday.
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Bay → love → Monday
The east coast town is pictured above during the fatal storm this week
'
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town → picture → storm
We got married in 2020, and we ended up having kids.
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we → marry → kids
I had twin girls.
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I → have → girls
They were born super early.
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They → bear → ?
They were preemies,' she said.
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she → say → ?
They were born at 25 weeks, one-pounders.
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They → bear → weeks
And they spent about three months in McHugh.
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they → spend → McHugh
Stacy said she became a stay-at-home mom to take care of their children, including three with special needs.
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she → say → needs
'Now we're essentially starting from scratch,' she said, while fighting back tears.
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she → start → tears
I don't have my support system.
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I → have → system
They don't have their father.'
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They → have → father
Stacy said she is working to bring her husband's remains back to his native New Hampshire.
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she → say → Hampshire
Their relatives have launched a fundraiser to support her in the aftermath of the tragedy.
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relatives → launch → tragedy
Bennett was one of two people who died during the floods in Florida this week.
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who → die → Florida
Florida officials identified the second victim as Archie Richards, 78, who was also found dead inside his vehicle in Palm Bay on the same day.
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who → identify → day
The east coast town was deluged with 19.75 inches of rain on Monday, according to local forecasters.
Stacy Petit Bennett, pictured with her husband, has been left widowed by the horrific floods
The couple share four children - three daughters who have special needs, and a son
Experts have said the fatal storms have been fueled by this year's extreme El Niño weather cycle.
The El Niño event is expected to peak in December, when it can more strongly harness certain air currents called jet streams to produce more extreme storms across the western US.
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it → deluge → US
After that, experts say its onslaught could continue for months.
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onslaught → say → months
'The dice are certainly loaded for more heavy storms this winter and spring,' said Park Williams with UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography in an email.
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Williams → load → email
The impacts of an El Niño aren't wholly bad, Cerveny said: it can bring rainfall and moisture to drier areas like the Southwest and fill up reservoirs.
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it → say → reservoirs
At the same time, storms and floods can pose a danger to people and property.
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storms → pose → people
To stay safe, experts recommended watching the forecast, planning ahead and heeding evacuation warnings from local authorities.
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experts → stay → authorities
So yes, we will see more of these particular events,' Cerveny said.
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Cerveny → see → events
The Aporia
