A Florida police officer has earned plenty of love over the internet after his agency shared a tender photo of him kissing his young daughter goodbye before leaving for his shift during Hurricane Irma.
The Clearwater Police Department on Sunday shared a photo of Officer Seth Stiers standing in the rain with his 7-year-old daughter, Lola. Stiers has his daughter's face in his hands and is giving her a kiss on the forehead.
In the background is his patrol car, waiting to take him into the chaos of the storm.
"Many officers are spending the day away from family today to protect Clearwater citizens," department officials wrote in the post.
The photo had more than 1,300 reactions by noon Monday. Many commenters lauded Stiers and his fellow officers for their work.
“Not all heroes wear capes,” one commenter said.
“I’m so sorry that you had to leave your family, but from the bottom of my heart and all of my families, we thank you soooo much,” another wrote.
Others said they were praying for all first responders’ safety.
“God bless!” one woman wrote. “My husband was a LEO (law enforcement officer) for 37 years. I have such respect for their loyalty to helping their community, but also to the LEO families for their strength. Stay safe out there!”
Clearwater police officials also shared photos of damage in the city as first responders began the task of storm cleanup.
Clearwater is on the west coast of Florida, just across the bay from Tampa, which saw the wrath of Irma as the storm churned north up the Florida peninsula early Monday. The storm, which remained a Category 2 storm as it passed the Tampa area, was downgraded to a tropical storm later Monday.
The storm moved into Georgia and Alabama, bringing with it rain and strong winds.
As of Monday morning, several fatalities had been reported, including two evacuees who died in car crashes in Georgia. An accurate death toll was not immediately available.
Millions in Florida were also left without power by the storm.
About the Author
