CANNIBAL CORPSE's ERIK RUTAN: '90% Of Everything We Own Was Either Severely Damaged Or Completely Destroyed'

CANNIBAL CORPSE guitarist Erik Rutan says that "90% of everything" he and his family own in St. Petersburg, Florida was decimated in Hurricane Helene on September 26 and Hurricane Milton, which hit the beleaguered region two weeks later on October 9.

Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida's Big Bend region as a Category 4 storm and as one of the deadliest hurricanes in the United States in the past 50 years.

Category 3 Hurricane Milton directly targeted the Sarasota area, just south of Tampa Bay, bringing high winds and torrential rains to the Tampa Bay area while making landfall 75 miles south in Siesta Key.

Rutan, who left CANNIBAL CORPSE's European tour on September 28 to be with his wife, took to his social media on Friday (October 18) to write: "We are so grateful for all the love and support that has come our way. The positive words, messages, texts and phone calls have meant so much to us. We feel so blessed to know that so many people care.

"Hurricane Helene and Milton decimated so many homes and lives and ours was one of them. 90% of everything we own including personal and family belongings, photos, things that can never be replaced as well as musical and studio gear was either severely damaged or completely destroyed.

"This experience has been difficult beyond words. Almost 3 weeks ago I left the CANNIBAL CORPSE tour to fly home to be with my wife, only to see our home and all our belongings in ruin. This has been one of the most difficult times of our lives. Right now, we, as well as many are suffering beyond measure. We worked so hard our entire lives to achieve what we have only to see it all taken away in a fleeting moment.

"I have no idea how we will overcome all of this, but anyone that knows us knows that we will fight our way back through sheer will and determination to hopefully one day reclaim some kind of normalcy. As we try to pick up the pieces of our lives, please send all the positive strength and energy you can. I will give further updates when time allows. Eternal Gratitude."

CANNIBAL CORPSE's European tour with MUNICIPAL WASTE, IMMOLATION and SCHIZOPHRENIA kicked off on September 20 in Oberhausen, Germany and is scheduled to end on October 20 in Frankfurt, Germany.

Rutan was named a permanent member of CANNIBAL CORPSE in 2021. He joined the band as the replacement for CANNIBAL's longtime guitarist Pat O'Brien.

Rutan, one of the death metal's most acclaimed guitarists, is known for his time as part of MORBID ANGEL throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, as well as handling vocals/guitars for HATE ETERNAL. He is also an acclaimed producer, working mostly out of his Mana Recording facility in St. Petersburg.