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Pine Island Recovers
Amy Bateman, Special to RedCross.org
Friday, September 17, 2004 — Although Ivan and Jeanne are grabbing the headlines now, many are still recovering from Hurricane Charley, which devastated communities like Pine Island, Florida a month ago. Damage is extensive, but the resilient spirits of the people of this community are obvious, and the impact of Red Cross aid is illustrated through the smiles on many faces, and amazing stories of survival and recovery.
The Mendoza family is happy to have a home still standing. |
Ignacia and Oscar Mendoza welcomed their son Oscar Mendoza, Jr., just two weeks after the storm hit. Oscar Sr. recalled the days before his birth, when they returned to their mobile home park after Charley carved a path of destruction through it. He watched the long line of cars approaching the razed community and seeing his neighbors’ homes totally destroyed. He feared he and his family would have nothing to return to. They were relieved to find their home still standing, although waterlogged and with extensive roof damage. The Red Cross provided financial assistance for home repairs, and now baby Oscar will have a secure roof over his head for the first time.
Monica Phillips and her family lived in the same mobile home park, but they will not be returning. As Charley churned toward them, Monica sent her four children to safety. But she, along with her fiancée, chose to stay with their home through the hurricane. “It was scary” she said, “the roof started to roll up like the lid on a can of sardines, and then the ceiling started going out!” Her fiancée climbed up on the roof during the storm and started nailing down plywood. “That’s what saved the trailer,” she said. As Monica huddled inside the trailer, Einstein, the family cockatiel who had never been held or petted, nestled under her chin and comforted her throughout the entire storm.
Although the trailer survived somewhat intact, the family has faced a new set of challenges since the storm and they have decided not to return to their home. The financial aid from the Red Cross has helped them get through this difficult period. “They were wonderful,” she said of Red Cross staff and volunteers. The Red Cross provided financial assistance for food and clothing, and the family is temporarily staying in a camper provided by FEMA.
Bokeelia Also Struggles to Recover
Throughout the Bokeelia, Floirda, area, houses are missing roofs, walls, and windows. In each neighborhood, residents gathered trash and tree limbs, propped up walls, and completed home repairs. A Red Cross Emergency Response Vehicle and bulk distribution truck became the central meeting place in one neighborhood, as Red Cross volunteers handed out cleaning supplies, food, water, toiletries, rakes, and other supplies to residents. Many of these volunteers have been on the job for more than a month and are committed to staying until they have been able to reach every area in need. With such widespread devastation, it has been a challenge, but the Lee County chapter of the American Red Cross, along with volunteers from across the country, have persevered to reach those in even the most remote areas.
Michael Grainger and Chris Irons sit with a Red Cross worker after Hurricane Charley ravaged their mobile home community. |
At the opposite end of the island, in St. James city, Michael Grainger and long-time friend Chris Irons sat at the kitchen table in Grainger’s new home and shared their experiences riding out Hurricane Charley. Grainger spent the worst of the storm in his parents’ mobile home, on the phone with his father, who was out of the state. After the storm, he emerged to a dismal sight.
“You could hear people crying, kids crying,” he said. When he saw his own home, he was glad he had chosen to weather the storm elsewhere. With most of his home and belongings destroyed, the Red Cross issued Grainger financial assistance for food, clothing, and linens.
Irons, Grainger’s friend and neighbor, rode out the storm in his home but admitted it was a scary experience. “I don’t know why I stayed,” he said. “[The storm] sounded like a train—trees were snapping like twigs.” But his house withstood the storm’s battering force. Irons said that the Red Cross presence after the storm helped strengthen the spirits of those cleaning up in Charley’s wake. The Red Cross delivered meals, snacks, and water. Grainger added that Red Cross staff and volunteers were a comfort in other ways as well. “Just being able to talk to you guys helps a lot,” he said, “We’re trying to get our morale back.”
Both Irons and Grainger have lived in the area for 26 years, and won’t be driven out by a little weather. “I’m not leaving,” was the consensus at the kitchen table. “It’s Mother Nature,” they both agreed “it was due to happen.”
It will be months before the people of Pine Island are able to reassemble their lives, but the local chapter of the American Red Cross is dedicated to continuing services as this community rebuilds. The spirit of this community is strong, and Hurricane Charley survival stories will be told for years by the hardy residents who call this island home.
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