PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Firefighters and first responders have been helping needy families for days following Hurricane Helene, but many of them also have damaged homes.
Now, local organizations are coming together to help those who have helped our community the most.
"You're used to being the help for everybody else, but there does come a time where you yourself need to reach out for help," said Adam Clemons, a Lealman firefighter.
"It definitely hits home when I see people have damage, I know I'm going through the same thing," said Matt Bush, another firefighter.
Bush works for the Lealman Fire Department, and during the storm, he watched his home flood from afar.
"I was monitoring the situation on Siesta Key webcam, and you could see the water coming up higher and higher," said Bush.
There was roughly three feet of water in his home, but he couldn't see the damage for himself for days.
"I just can't think about it. I didn't want to think about it. I had a job, a mission to do," said Bush.
"It's one of those things where, you know, people have got it worse, and when you are here working, we were out there on jon boats, pulling people out of trailers and stuff," Clemons said. "So when duty calls, you've got to go out there and do what you can to help everybody else."
Clemons also had about a foot of water in his home.
"All of the dry-wall is going to have to come out," he said.
Both first responders lost many of their belongings...and that's the situation for many more.
"I know in my own district, we've had a handful, probably half a dozen, throughout the county, it's a lot. We have a lot of responders that have damage," said Jim Millican, District Fire Chief.
Millican said his firefighters put others above themselves.
"Many have no clothes left. Many of them have kids, and their kids have nothing, no toys, no clothes, no whatever they are used to having in their daily life," said Millican.
Two organizations, The Mission to Serve and Abundant Life Ministries, are now collecting donations for first responders, such as hygiene products, food, water, clothes, and supplies to repair homes.
"We just really feel like we need to support these men and women who have been serving crazy hours, rescuing our families, well someone has to step in and support them," said Kirk Carey with Abundant Life Ministries.
With a warm embrace and the help of their community, both Bush and Clemons are hopeful they will recover.
"A lot of the time, that's all you need is your neighbor to say, 'Hey, what can I do for you? What do you guys need? Do you need someone to talk to?' Because sometimes that's what people need right now because the rebuilding process is going to take a while now," said Clemons.
Find ways you can help below.
A state report says hundreds of frail elderly nursing home residents were stacked side by side, head to toe in a small church with no working air conditioning or refrigerator during Hurricane Helene.
