HAINES CITY, Fla. — More and more people are starting to assess their properties and repair the damage caused by Hurricane Ian.
Car after car waited outside the Lake Eva Center in Haines City on Thursday, hoping to get some much-needed cleaning supplies. The line wrapped around the building.
“We didn’t expect it to hit as badly as it did. Not as bad as it did down south, but we still got some damage, ” Isabel Irvine said.
Irvine rode out the storm at a friend’s house. When she returned home, part of her roof was missing.
“I need a new roof, and I'm unable to afford that right now, so tarps would come in use,” Irvine said.
She drove from Dundee to get tarps and other cleaning supplies the American Red Cross was distributing. The free supplies are coming in handy for so many residents who are just beginning the long road to recovery.
Abieres Peralta said her home flooded, and she went without power for four days.
“It’s a lot of water. The roof is broken, the food is damaged,” she said.
Bruce Vande Zande, a Red Cross volunteer from Wisconsin, felt the call to provide help in the wake of Hurricane Ian.
“We just want to do the best we can for people, and being a volunteer makes you feel better about the situation," Vande Zande said. "We don’t have hurricanes in Wisconsin, but we also have other disasters there, too, and people come for that."
It means a lot to new mom Stephanie Zarate that her small town hasn’t been forgotten.
“With us being a small community and stuff, it’s very useful. I'm very thankful, especially with a newborn. It's kind of hard to get around and do this stuff,” Zarate said.
