A Florida man whose wife and toddler daughter were killed by a lightning strike while he was near them recently has implored people to “hold … tight” to their loved ones.

Kameron Glasgow made that arresting remark to local media at a weekend gathering honoring the memories of his wife, Kenya, and two-year-old daughter Kennedi after they died on 23 August from an exceedingly rare cause.

As Glasgow put it to the news station WSVN, Kenya and Kennedi were in the driveway of a family member’s house in Margate, a small city in the Miami metropolitan area, when a lightning bolt hit them. Kenya, 31, and Kennedi were taken to separate hospitals, but each died shortly after arriving, authorities have said.

Kameron told the WSVN that he was mere feet away from the strike and experienced some of its effects – while Kennedi’s twin sister, Kensli, was inside their family’s parked car close by and was uninjured.

The widower later said to the outlet that it was the “worst feeling in the world … to turn around and see your wife and your daughter” mortally injured.

“I just lost my best friend,” Kameron subsequently wrote in part on social media. “My daughter [Kensli] just lost her best friend [Kennedi].”

On Saturday, neighbors, friends and other loved ones of the Glasgows attended a candelight memorial for Kenya and Kennedi at Margate elementary school.

Kameron spoke with WSVN at the event and discussed how he believed Kensli’s young age was probably helping her cope with the grim reality that she was now playing alone – without her twin sister’s company – in the aftermath of Kennedi’s death.

He also remembered Kenya as uniquely loving.

“Words can’t describe her – like it doesn’t matter if she knows you her entire life, 10 days, five minutes, she’s going to love you all the same, and she’s always going to make sure you’re OK before … herself,” Kameron said to the channel. “Guys, if you have someone like that in your life, hold them tight because they are one in a million.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has calculated that there are about 37m lightning strikes in the US annually. However, an individual’s chances of being struck by lightning are extremely remote – with the CDC estimating those odds at less than one in a million. And the CDC says that almost 90% of all lightning strike victims survive.

Nonetheless, the National Weather Service (NWS) warns that lightning can strike up to 25 miles (40km) away from a storm, including in places where it’s not raining at the time. The NWS admonishes people to go indoors if they can hear thunder because it indicates they are close enough to be struck by lightning.

Kameron expressed his gratitude on social media for his community’s support, saying it left his, Kensli’s and their family’s metaphorical cups “overflowing”.

He also wrote: “Hug your people tight and tell them you love them.”