Tom and Anne Lump were finally allowed to return to their Fort Myers Beach neighborhood for the first time almost a month after Hurricane Ian made landfall. Cleanup supplies from the American Red Cross will help with the exhausting job ahead.

“This used to be a restaurant,” Tom told Red Cross volunteer Doreen Gardner, gesturing toward a pile of debris in his front yard from a nearby property. He found the Men’s and Women’s bathroom doors in his backyard; the shiny, silver box reflecting the bright, Florida sun in his neighbor’s yard: “That was their (restaurant’s) cooler.”

Walking toward his house, Tom invited Gardner inside, where Anne was sweeping up sand in what used to be their family room. A waterline on a bedroom door served as a reminder of the height the storm surge reached inside; most of their walls have been exposed to the studs.

Sadly, the Lumps continue to lose more items: Tools and cleaning supplies go missing from their property daily.

Expressing their appreciation for the new cleanup kit and gloves from a Red Cross disaster aid station up the street, Tom ended the tour on a note of optimism: “This house was built in 1935… that’s why we really want to save it.”

A month after the monster storm disrupted tens of thousands of lives across Florida, more than 2,700 Red Cross disaster responders have been working around the clock, manning shelters, distributing free food, water and snacks, providing health and mental health support and going into impacted neighborhoods like the Lumps’ to bring help to where it’s needed most.

Help people affected by disasters like storms and countless other crises by making a gift to American Red Cross Disaster Relief. Your gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small. Donate today at redcross.org/donate.

Written by Heather Anderson, American Red Cross Public Affairs