- Recovery after Hurricane Idalia is still in the works for the people living in Taylor County.
- First Baptist Disaster Relief is putting in work orders for those who have suffered damage to their homes due to Idalia.
- More information about the group can be found at Disaster Relief - Florida Baptist Convention | FBC (flbaptist.org)
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT
“I went into the back bedroom, and I looked, I said oh god, a tree fell in my house.”
That’s Ivere Hugger, he’s been living in perry for over 25 years. He recalls living through hurricane Idalia.
“I was in the bed when it hit and it just rocked my whole trailer, so I just got my sofa and I laid it on the floor and got a mattress, and I just barricaded myself under the mattress.”
While hugger had to deal with the storm and the aftermath, many volunteers in Taylor County stepped up to his aide.
I spoke with terry Davis, the state callout coordinator for first Baptist Disaster Relief.
She says she finds joy in being able to help in Taylor County, and people like Hugger are grateful.
“It’s humbling for them to have to ask for help, but they’re very thankful, very gracious, and very welcoming to us.”
The damage from Idalia is something people that lived there had in common.
“In perry, the damage has been mostly tree damage.”
It was the main focus for first Baptist.
“Our main focus here is cleanup and recovery. We take down trees for people or remove trees that are on people’s homes. We put temporary tarps on people’s houses of a hole got in the roof.”
It’s something that satisfied Hugger.
“I’m satisfied with the way they worked. They really did a good job and they helped me good because we had a mess here, I had a mess.”