Hope Force International - Florida Response: Situation Report #4 |   | ...
 
Facebook icon Twitter icon Forward icon

Hope Force International - Florida Response: Situation Report #4

October 13, 2022

As we serve in the Cape Coral/North Fort Myers area, we continue to see more and more need.  The magnitude of this storm has overwhelmed not only residents, but also disaster relief organizations.  Storm surge and high winds have impacted more communities than one can count throughout Florida.  Going to a job-site, you find yourself passing literally hundreds of residents in the same situation —  just trying to attend to their roofs...or the mold growing in their homes.  Every road is littered with piles of what used to be the contents of the homes they sit in front of; mattresses, vacuum cleaners, pictures, and decorations line the streets as people begin the process of recovery.  The news captures the worst of the worst, but the unseen destruction is even more overwhelming...the sheer number of those affected is mind boggling.  The story of "Cari" and "Kate" exemplifies the situation:

We learned about Cari through a neighbor — one neighbor looking out for another.  We stopped by a house to check on the homeowner's progress and she said, “I’m fine, but you need to go check in on Cari.  She’s in a wheelchair and her house is destroyed.  She’s away right now because of the damage, but her daughter is trying to get it cleaned out and she really needs help."  We drove down and met Kate, Cari's daughter.  Immediately, we could see she was in a really rough place.  She had been working feverishly for several days trying to get the contents out of her mom’s house.  Kate is a school teacher in Indiana, and used all her personal days to come down and clean out her mother's house, flooded in the hurricane.  Throughout our visit with Kate, she was completely overwhelmed by everything that needed to be done and the condition of her mom’s house.  She broke down in tears several times because she was completely overwhelmed and exhausted.  “I just can’t do all this myself, this is too much!”  As we talked to her and explained to her what we could do to help, she was encouraged. When we prayed for her at the end of our visit, her demeanor greatly improved.  The next day, we came and began the process of mucking out her mom’s house and she worked right alongside our team.  She began to tell us more about her mom’s story, of the amazing neighbors she has, and how because of this community, her mom has started going to church for the first time ever.  By the end of our first day mucking out, Kate could start to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

The simple act of mucking out a house, taking the time to talk and to pray has brought this person from a place of being completely overwhelmed and despondent, to a place of hope and encouragement. Cari and her daughter Kate represent just one home out of thousands that have been impacted by this devastating hurricane.  
 
We are continuing our deployment through the end of October, and we need all who can come and offer help and hope to people who so desperately need it.  PLEASE, would you pray about joining us here on the ground in the Ft Meyers area?  We need people like you to come and to serve; come for two days...or come for the next two weeks.  

TO VOLUNTEER IF YOU ARE NOT TRAINED, please click this link, https://hopeforce.org/volunteer/   

FOR OUR TRAINED HOPE FORCE RESERVISTS, please use this link: https://www.jotform.com/form/220817367880160

Besides additional manpower needs, we also need funds to sustain our relief efforts.  Would you please consider a donation to help in this great need?