Engineer discovers velvet box with ring in hurricane cleanup in US

In the aftermath of devastating hurricanes that swept through Florida, amid the rubble and debris left behind, an engineer overseeing cleanup efforts discovered a velvet black box containing a ring and a heartfelt note.

Precious memories—photo albums, family heirlooms, and tokens of love—have been lost to floodwaters, scattered for miles and reduced to mere fragments among the wreckage, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

Yet, within one such pile of lost treasures, a small, unassuming black velvet box was found, containing a ring and a note that read, “I was 18 when my parents gave it to me.”  

Now, Joe Kovach, an engineer overseeing a debris site in Tarpon Springs, Florida, is on a mission to reunite the box with its rightful owner.

“After the storm, everyone has been essentially putting their lives out on the curb as the floodwaters rose. My own boss had 30 inches of water in his home, and seeing his reaction was a stark reminder of how devastating this can be for so many,” Kovach, who works with Pinellas County Public Works, said. 

“A lot of people in the community were deeply impacted by these two storms, so if there’s anything I can do to help, that’s what matters,” said Kovach. A contractor working to clear debris with an excavator stumbled upon the ring when he noticed the velvet box below him.   “It was definitely a needle in a haystack. For something like that to survive amidst all the wet and saturated debris was quite remarkable,” Kovach remarked.  

Although the ring was discovered after Hurricane Milton, Kovach believes it was originally lost in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, based on the debris pile from which it was recovered, which Pinellas County Public Works monitors. He suspects the ring's owner may be from Crystal Beach, Ozona, or Palm Harbor.

The recent devastation from two major hurricanes has left behind a path of destruction and heightened anxiety. Hurricane Milton took at least 23 lives in Florida, unleashing a deadly storm surge, heavy rains, and numerous tornadoes. This devastation compounded the toll of another catastrophic storm, Helene, which had already claimed 20 lives less than two weeks prior.

Kovach's dedication to reuniting individuals with their belongings after the hurricanes stems from an act of kindness he received years ago when he lost his wallet at a concert and the person who found it went out of their way to return it. "I was so grateful for that, so now I’m paying it forward and looking out for others," Kovach said.

"Whenever I come across items like this, I try to see what I can do." Kovach has not yet heard back from the person who lost the ring, but he remains hopeful that they will eventually respond.

He expressed his desire to return the cherished item in person. "That would be incredible," Kovach said. "I hope we can arrange a meet and greet to witness the excitement on their face."

By Naila Huseynova