Hurricane Irma: A Personal Story

It was Saturday September 9th, 2017, Hurricane Irma was leaving the Cuban coast and heading towards Florida. At the time I wasn't worried, though I should have been scared shitless. I had lived in my trailer for the last 13.5 years and had survived four hurricanes so far. The problem was that this wasn't a Charley or Jeanne or even a Frances. This was Hurricane Irma and it had devastated the Caribbean and had been called the worst storm known to the Atlantic. Irma had brought death and destruction and it was going to hit my home and I had a gut feeling it was not going to be good.

My friends Angela and Bill Gibron had said I could stay at their house to ride out the storm. I really didn't want to leave my home but I knew this was going to be different. I wanted to stay one more night because for some some reason I had grown to enjoy being on my own. I guess you could call it freedom but I just enjoyed relaxing in my home. Bill was getting nervous and he didn't want Angela picking me up the next morning so I conceded and left my home with my cats Sox, Lemmy and Sonny. The kids, as I call them, were calm. That should have told me something was up, but I didn't catch on to there sixth sense.

Saturday night was okay. I slept on the living room couch and the kids were set up in the laundry room. The storm hadn't reach the Florida Keys but it was getting closer.  Bill was debating about leaving because most of the weatherman were saying that we were going to get some major flooding and wind. We decided to stay and hunker down in their house and ride out the storm. Sundays weather wasn't bad. The day was long, and finally around 5:00 or 6:00 in the afternoon the winds began to pick up. I wasn't worried I had lived through several hurricanes in my 56 years and this one was just another. Up to this time I had always liked a good hurricane party.

The night came and Angela's father Bob went to bed. Bill was already lying down and trying to relax. Angela and I were sitting in the living room talking trash as we had off and on for some 55 plus years. You see I have known this girl she she was a baby. Her father was my Mom's boss way back when they both worked for Metropolitan Life Insurance.

Night became morning as the storm passed and all that had happened was some branches had come down. The next morning her father and I picked up the yard and all seemed right with the world. I received a call from my neighbor Brian and the news wasn't good. My roof had come off and was in two other yards. We decided to go and see my trailer on Tuesday as the city of Tampa still had curfews and such and we just didn't feel comfortable driving across town when a lot of debris was still on the roads. I honestly thought that even with the roof off the trailer could still be salvageable.

The trip back to home was fine. Yes, there were limbs and trash in the roads but we made it. I saw the roof on the ground and as I got to my steps I saw that part of my floor had collapsed. I could live with that. It could be repaired. As I opened the door there was my ceiling on the floor in the kitchen and living room. My heart stopped beating and I was devastated. I looked around at what I had lost and my mind went blank. I still thought even with all this I could still call this place home. I came upon two of the maintenance men and told them what had happened. I never said anything about leaving for good, but for some reason they told management that I was leaving and nothing was done to even try and save my belongings. They could have put a tarp over my roof and that would have at least helped, but they did nothing. We had showers for the next two days and when I returned Friday September 12th the water was all over the place. I knew then that I was homeless or at least at the mercy of my friends.

For some 38 years I had lived on my own and now I wouldn't be for awhile. It hurt. It hurt bad. Please don't get me wrong my friends are cool and I love them to death, but I really hadn't ever felt that feeling of freedom lost, at least not like this. You see, I had become a victim and that sucked. I lost practically everything and it didn't need to happen. Irma was not the storm it was in the Florida Keys or the Caribbean. My trailer took the brunt of the storm in the trailer park. Everyone else came out alright. So I guess this time it was me who lost. During all those other Hurricanes I was the one that skated through the storm but not this time.

I have been depressed, scared, hurt, confused, paranoid, and many other words in the last two weeks. The one word that does always come to mind is LUCKY. You see many others lost life and much more. I can rebuild and move on and that is why I'm telling my story. It's humbling when you lose everything and have to start over at my age. It's humbling when you have to ask your government for help. It's humbling when you have to ask your friends for help. I've cried a lot in the dark not wanting to let people hear or see me.

We started a Go Fund Me page where people can donate money to help me get back on my feet. So far we have received money and food from the government. The Go Fund Me page has brought in money and I should be fine but I could still use some help financially. I want you to know that it hurts to ask but I honestly don't know what else to do. I have found a second job and that will help even though its only part time. I hope and pray that anyone reading this will never have to feel the way I do right now.

I thought I had experienced rock bottom years passed when I was younger but now I know what it feels to literally almost have just the shirt on my back. I simply wanted to let you know the need is real and if you can help I wouldn't say no. We will be OK my cats and I. We will survive as I always have. We will see another day and it will be because of the kindness of friends and strangers. From Tampa, Florida I send love, best wishes, and Thanks.