By Diana Weber, American Red Cross Public Affairs

Baby Jacob will have a story to remember when he grows older. Born Saturday, September 24 and weighing only five pounds, 12 ounces, Jacob and his mother, Dulce Rios, remained in the hospital in Orlando until Wednesday to meet his big brothers, Cesar, age 14 and Justin, age 10. The next morning, their apartment flooded.

“Soon the apartment was full of sewage, feces and mold," said Gloria Gonzalez, Dulce's friend and neighbor, who also acted as translator for our interview with Dulce. Gloria, also an evacuee, served as president of the residents’ council at Caroline Village, where the Rios lived. “The water almost went up to the windows in her apartment,” Gloria added.

Jacob's big brother Cesar, who did not need a translator, explained what the ordeal was like for him.

“I was asleep,” he said. “I woke up, and I was going to charge my phone, but there was no light. My mom told me to look out, that it was flooding. So, I looked out, and everything was floating by, you know, like trash. Everything was floating down like it was a river.”

“It was like a swollen river,” said Gloria. “They had to rescue us in boats.”

“Dulce’s house is on the corner,” explained Gloria, “and the corners got the most flooding.”

“When we came back, our truck had moved,” said Cesar. “It had turned around. And it had water in the back and in the cup holders. It had floated.”

So, Cesar and his mother and his other brother Justin, who is 13, helped to gather what few things they could and came to the shelter. Since they were not yet married and he was not living at the apartment, Dulce's fiancé, unfortunately, could not stay with them in the shelter. Nevertheless, he has visited them every day and is working to find a safe place for them to live.

Jacob and Justin began catching a bus at the shelter to attend school. However, Cesar missed the bus on the morning of our visit, so he helped his mother with baby Jacob. And that was fortunate because he could serve as a translator for his mother's interview with FEMA.

Cesar said he will make up the work he missed at school. He said he wanted to make good grades to get into college.

"I want to be a mechanical engineer," he said, adding that mathematics was his favorite subject. "I want to design a new kind of car,” he said. “One that will run on something new, like water.” He laughed at his idea. But he has serious goals. He plans to take advantage of his high school’s dual enrollment program to earn college credits while still in high school and then transfer to Daytona State College to earn his bachelor’s degree in engineering.

“I really like the set up at this shelter," said Gloria. "They have that section over there set up for families, so Dulce and her boys can stay together." She pointed out each section as she talked.

“And in the middle is the general population. Of course, over there is the animal section, and behind those curtains is a section for those with special needs. And the cafeteria is here, and the food is good. I really like the set up and everyone has been wonderful to us. It's really awesome what you guys did here." She took a moment to wipe a tear. "And I'm going to cry if I don't stop talking."

Bill Sien, a Red Cross volunteer from the greater Washington, D.C. area, was one of the first to deploy and worked to open the Daytona Beach shelter on Tuesday before the storm hit. He was part of our conversation and asked Dulce, through Gloria:

“When we opened the shelter on Tuesday, there were people lined up to get into the shelter. So, here’s the question, Dulce, when you went into the hospital to have Jacob, did you think about the storm, about that this could cause a problem?”

Gloria didn’t even ask but rather answered for Dulce. “No. You know why?” she said. “Because we’ve never had a problem there. So, we thought we were pretty safe.”

Dulce expressed her gratitude for the Red Cross during this critical time. The Red Cross has provided a crib, diapers, formula, blankets, baby carrier and anything else Dulce needed for baby Jacob.

Baby Jacob certainly has a story he will learn as he grows older. And, with the help of the Red Cross and the other organizations pitching in to help these persons displaced by Hurricane Ian, his story will have a happy ending.