By Marcia Antipa, American Red Cross volunteer

Jennifer Whittle, her 8-week-old baby, Bryan, and her dog Missy lost their home when Hurricane Ian slammed into southwest Florida. All three escaped safely, but their house in the Sheltering Pines Mobile Home Park in Fort Myers was destroyed.

“Once I got to the house, my house was six feet underwater,” Whittle  said. “The crib was floating. All his baby books, everything was gone. He was just born, and it’s all gone.”

Jennifer, Bryan, and Missy found a safe haven in an American Red Cross shelter at the Estero Recreation Center in Lee County, where they have been living since the storm hit.

“Red Cross has been amazing, making sure the baby is taken care of, that we’re taken care of. They supply him with everything he needs.”

The Red Cross also made room for Jennifer’s service dog, Missy. “I have epilepsy, so if I’m about to have a seizure, she’ll come onto my chest, bark at me, and basically warn me to get into a safe position.”

Now, the Red Cross is helping Jennifer plan the next steps in her life as part of the Shelter Transition Program. The goal is to find this family a more sustainable living situation.

Christie Merrill, a volunteer from Washington state, supervises the transition team at the Estero shelter. She said they are currently in the “triage” phase, where they gather information from shelter residents to find them the best housing solution.

“We’re asking them questions about their situation before the disaster,” Merrill describes the process of beginning Shelter Resident Transition with clients. “Where were you living at the time of the disaster? Did you rent, or did you own? Do you think you will be able to return to your home?”

The team helps each resident create a personalized plan for their next steps, linking them with resources from government agencies and other partner organizations. The top priority is housing, but transition volunteers also help people with transportation, healthcare, and other needs.   

Some shelter residents have already moved out, including a woman who will move in with family members in Ohio. Another couple in their nineties drove home when they learned their utilities had been restored.

Leonard Pharr and his wife, Susan Kelly, are moving home to New York State. They had booked flights for Oct. 1, but then Hurricane Ian flooded their rental house and shut down the airport. They made a harrowing escape, with Leonard carrying Susan, an amputee, on his back through chest-deep water to a neighbor’s home. Susan lost her prosthetic leg during the storm, and the couple ended up living in the Red Cross Estero shelter. Both say they were grateful for that help.

“Red Cross was very helpful. I really can’t complain. There’s shelter over my head. I’m with a bunch of people who have been through the same thing as me.”

Almost two weeks after Ian made landfall, Leonard and Susan were finally able to catch a flight home to their family in New York.

As for Jennifer Whittle, she learned that FEMA will soon be providing funds for her family to move to a hotel. She hopes to get a trailer after that and then rebuild her home on higher ground. Jennifer says life has been stressful but that she is thankful for the help she received at the shelter.

“Red Cross has been amazing, and bless their hearts because I had nothing when I came here, and I have everything now.”