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A Georgia nonprofit is on a mission to give building materials new life

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Savannah, Georgia — If historic homes are the fabric of Savannah, Georgia, Mae Bowley is the thread, salvaging precious materials from those about to be torn down.

“I got bit by the old building bug, and the next thing I knew, I was a warrior for these old building materials, trying to do everything I could to keep them out of the landfill,” said Bowley, who is the executive director of the nonprofit Re:Purpose Savannah.

Bowley showed CBS News an example of irreplaceable wood, hundreds of years old. It’s the kind of wood Re:Purpose Savannah salvages when it convinces owners to deconstruct a building instead of demolish it.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the construction and demolition industry in the U.S. sends an estimated 145 million tons of waste to U.S. landfills, accounting for a quarter of all waste.

“Construction and demolition is the single biggest contributor to American landfills,” Bowley said. “So this is an urgent, urgent area to address our current practices.”

From hinges and doorknobs to clawfoot tubs, window frames and that incomparable wood, it’s all sold at their warehouse. In five years, they’ve kept 3,000 tons of material out of landfills.

What’s old often ends up in new construction.

“The built environment holds so much of our history,” said Katie Fitzhugh, director of deconstruction for Re:Purpose Savannah. “And so when you lose it, we lose a lot of the stories and the connections that go with that.”

The nonprofit is an all-women plus venture in a male dominated industry. More than 90% of construction workers are men.

“There are barriers, whether they’re formal or informal,” Bowley explains. “And removing those barriers helps women break into a really rewarding industry, and start really long, productive, healthy careers.”

And it serves as an alternative to bulldozers and wrecking balls.

“There is light and there is beauty in what we’re able to do,” said Kelly Lowe, director of salvage for Re:Purpose Savannah. “And I think, you know, the broader message of what we’re doing is that we’re doing something with intention.”

It’s the nuanced work of preserving history, piece by precious piece.



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Hurricane Milton’s impact on South Florida: Squally conditions, tornadoes, flight cancellations

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MIAMI – Windy conditions continued in South Florida Wednesday evening as Hurricane Milton, a powerful Category 3 storm, made landfall on Florida’s west coast.

Milton was packing maximum sustained winds of 120 mph as it made landfall in Siesta Key near Sarasota. The storm is expected to bring life-threatening storm surge, destructive winds, flooding, and tornadoes as it moves across the state to the east coast.

South Florida experienced strong winds of 30 to 40 mph Wednesday, which are expected to continue through Thursday. 

Milton’s impact on South Florida


Tornadoes touch down in South Florida

02:16

Hurricane Milton spun at least two tornadoes in South Florida.

Earlier in the day, a tornado touched down along Alligator Alley in western Broward County near Collier County, though no damage was reported.


Tornado touches down in Wellington

02:18

Another tornado touched down in the Wellington area of Palm Beach County, causing damage to some homes and bringing down trees.

All of South Florida had been under a tornado watch until 9 p.m. Wednesday. Several tornado warnings had also been issued for Broward County.

In recent days, South Florida has experienced a “one-two punch” of storms. A non-tropical low-pressure system brought heavy rain and flooding on Sunday and Monday, followed by Hurricane Milton’s approach on Wednesday, which was forecast to bring more rain and windy conditions through Thursday as the storm crosses the state.

The region remains under threat of flooding, with an expected rainfall of 4 to 7 inches or more.

Strong winds brought down a power line in Broward County near NE 28th Street in Wilton Manors.

Airports report delays and cancelations


Hurricane Milton causing cancelations, delays at South Florida airports

02:01

Hurricane Milton continued to affect flights at South Florida airports on Wednesday. 

Cancellations and delays were reported at Miami International Airport and at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International. 

Nearly 2,000 flights within, into or out of the United States were canceled by Wednesday night, according to the tracking service FlightAware. That includes over 380 flights canceled at Tampa International Airport.

When will conditions improve? 

windfield.jpg
Tropical storm, hurricane wind field for Hurricane Milton.

CBS News Miami


“By late Thursday, things will begin to wind down,” said CBS News Miami chief meteorologist Ivan Cabrera. “Conditions will improve into Friday, and we’re looking forward to a quiet and tranquil pattern setting up for the weekend and into next week.” 

On Friday, there will be a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. It will be cloudy with a 20% chance of rain in the day and 20% at night, according to NWS.

North winds will be around 14 mph with gusts as high as 23 mph during the day, and north winds of 10 to 13 mph with gusts as high as 22 will be seen at night.

landfall.png
Hurricane Milton made landfall Wednesday at 8:30 p.mm. near Siesta Key, FL. 

CBS News Miami


Highs are expected to be near 86 and lows around 75.

Dangerous storm surge forecast for Florida

Forecasters warned of dangerous storm surge.  

“The deepest water will occur along the immediate coast near and to the south of the landfall location, where the surge will be accompanied by large and dangerous waves,” the hurricane center said.

“Rainfall amounts of 6 to 12 inches, with localized totals up to 18 inches, are expected across central to northern portions of the Florida Peninsula through Thursday,” the hurricane center said.

“This rainfall brings the risk of considerable flash, urban  and areal flooding, along with the potential for moderate to major river flooding.”

Milton will also produce rainfall totals 2 to 4 inches across the Florida Keys through Thursday.  



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10/9: CBS Evening News – CBS News

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10/9: CBS Evening News – CBS News


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Milton makes landfall as Category 3 hurricane; How Florida’s east coast is bracing for Hurricane Milton

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Milton makes landfall as Category 3 hurricane

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Milton makes landfall as Category 3 hurricane – CBS News


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Hurricane Milton made landfall just after 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday near Siesta Key, Florida, as a Category 3 storm. Jonathan Vigliotti, Vladimir Duthiers and Nicole Valdes report from the impact zone.

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