St. Augustine family welcomes baby at UF Health Flagler Hospital prior to Hurricane Milton

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — One St. Augustine family will remember the day Hurricane Milton arrived much differently than many others — it was the day their daughter, Nova, was born at UF Health Flagler Hospital.

Born at 1:10 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 9 to Katelyn Hicks and Christopher Washington, Nova Reign Washington made her arrival only a few hours before Milton arrived in Florida. She weighed 7lbs, 1oz.

“Delivering our baby and then riding out a hurricane was not part of the plan and certainly unexpected,” said Hicks. “We watched the palm trees blowing from our hospital room window and felt safe the entire time. Nova let us sleep throughout most of the storm, thankfully.”

“Our team is dedicated to providing high-quality care, no matter the weather, and we are thrilled to be able to celebrate a positive outcome at a time that is devastating for so many,” said Michelle Paulo, interim vice president of nursing.

Coincidentally, Nova’s 3-year-old sister is named Storm.

The family looks forward to telling Nova about her unique arrival in the future.