A photo showing Tony Raines and his daughter laughing beautifully to the camera.

MTV Star Tony Raines Shares Painful Details About His Family's Loss During Hurricane Ida

Home / Internet & social media / MTV Star Tony Raines Shares Painful Details About His Family's Loss During Hurricane Ida

By Favour Adegoke on September 11, 2021 at 12:55 PM EDT

MTV's "The Challenge" star, Tony Raines took to social media to share devastating photos of the destruction his family suffered in their Louisiana home. Nonetheless, he's grateful for everything he has in his life despite his experience with Hurricane Ida.

"Hurricane Ida might've destroyed my home but I still have my family," he wrote. "The night of the storm, a tree came crashing down through our living room. Alyssa and my 4-year-old daughter, Isla, were sitting on the couch next to each other and I was standing in the middle of the room. When the roof collapsed, I fell to the floor and immediately thought the worst."

Article continues below advertisement

He mentioned adrenaline kicked in and he immediately headed to the couch where his family was. He cleared the debris and found his daughter crying. Then, he brought her to the hallway bathroom and went for his wife.

"At first she was not responsive," he wrote. "My heart sank but I could hear her breathing. After a few moments of moving the debris off of her to pull her out she regained consciousness."

Raines and his fiancée, Alyssa Giacone, share a five-year-old daughter, Isla Rose. He also shares a four-year-old Harper London with his ex, Madison Channing Walls.

Article continues below advertisement

Alyssa Suffered Injuries That Might Require Surgery

Raines shared that his fiancée suffered "a blow to the head" from the ceiling that knocked her out and "severely wounded her hand." Their child, on the other hand, was unharmed. At one point, they contacted emergency services but weren't able to reach them on time.

"So we waited it out 5 hours before attempting a trip to the hospital ourselves," he wrote.

"We drove every route possible but there was no way through the downed trees and power lines anyway we went. We eventually met someone who had a chainsaw and was willing to help us. Almost 4 hours later and we finally were able to cut a path through and make it to the hospital," he concluded.

Article continues below advertisement
Article continues below advertisement

When his fiancée finally got medical attention, she got stitches for her forehead and was awaiting surgery for her hand. Raines shared that the doctors expected her to recover in three months if all went well.

He added that he was absolutely grateful because if the tree or part of the roof fell in another direction, he would be narrating another tale.

Article continues below advertisement

What To Know About Hurricane Ida

Hurricane Ida lashed Louisiana on Sunday, August 29, making landfall near Port Fourchon as an “extremely dangerous” category four pstorm with sustained winds of 150 mph. A storm becomes a Category 5 at 157 miles an hour.

According to NOAA analyses, a 150-mph Category four storm has more than 250 times the damage potential of a Category one storm.

Ida then churned inland, wrought catastrophic winds, heavy rainfall, and tornado watches. It also came along with danger of flash and urban flooding plus life-threatening storm surge along the coasts of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.

Ironically, Ida made landfall on the 16th year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina which also devastated Louisiana back in 2005.

As a result of Ida, Louisiana became the first state to record back-to-back years with a hurricane with wind speeds of 150mph or higher.

In fact, during the last four years, the Gulf Coast has had a category four or five landfalls each year. The last time a major storm (category three or higher) made landfall outside the Gulf of Mexico was in 2004.

Impressively, Ida did not weaken rapidly after landfall as most other tropical cyclones do. Ida, however, maintained Category four strength six hours after landfall.

Article continues below advertisement

Reactions

Many people responded to Raine's Instagram post. Amongst the people sharing support and love was Johnny "Bananas" Devenanzio, who wrote, "Your belongings can be replaced, the family can't! Glad you're all safe," and added a prayer hand emoji.

Paulie Calafiore also commented, "praying for you and your family brother," with a heart emoji.

Weston Bergmann commented in part, "I'm so happy your family is okay and incredibly sorry you had to go through this. My thoughts are with you during the road to recovery."

"Holy sh*t. I'm so happy that you guys are okay! Sending positive vibes for Alyssa's recovery," Kailah Casillas added.

Who is Tony Raines?

Tony Raines is a reality television star and actor. Born on May 30, 1988, he's known as the contestant of "Real World: Skeletons" and "The Challenge: Champs Vs Stars."

In 2019, he appeared on the reality TV series, "How Far Is Tattoo Far?" He's gone on to appear on other series like "Dirty 30," "Vendettas" and "Final Reckoning."

Article continues below advertisement
A photo showing the Raines family in casual outfits at the beach.
Instagram | Tony Raines

He kicked off his professional career as a chemical plant worker in Louisiana. However, he left the profession to be an actor and has been growing by leaps and bounds.

He's engaged to Alyssa and they share a five-year-old, Isla Rose. He also shares a kid with his estranged ex, Madison Channing Walls.

Article continues below advertisement