SARASOTA, Fla. — Sarasota County was one of the hardest hit areas by tropical storm Debby with unexpected flooding.
Many neighborhoods in the area saw their homes inundated with flood waters, but one non-profit is helping with that cleanup. Samaritan's Purse is helping people get back on their feet after the devastating storm.
It still feels surreal for resident Gabby Kessel who has to rebuild her house of 35 years after it was destroyed by flooding. She said all the furniture, appliances and carpet were ruined and her walls and bathrooms were gutted.
“There is no kitchen, no bed, no bathroom. Everything is gone,” Kessel said. “I would say minimum it is going to cost us $50,000.”
Samaritan's Purse is trying to make her life a little easier. Program Manager Todd Taylor said their team is handling a lot of heavy lifting.
“Samaritan's Purse is going in and helping with the cleanup, recovering their possessions, then pulling out all the sheetrock and the flooring”
An army of volunteers came armed with brooms, shovels and wheelbarrows, cleaning up a little bit at a time on Saturday morning.
Kessel said she couldn’t be more grateful for the non-profit emptying out their purse of goodwill to help.
“This is huge, this is absolutely huge, I can’t even describe how much that means to us that we have people helping us,” she said.
The nonprofit's volunteers will still be out in the community until they can assist with every home that still needs help in the recovery process.
Samaritan's Purse said they are always in need of more volunteers. You can learn how to help here.
President Biden also issued a major disaster declaration for several Florida counties, including Sarasota and Manatee. This declaration means those in need can get grants for temporary housing and home repairs and low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses.
To access these resources, visit the FHA disaster relief website or call the FHA resource center at 1-800-304-9320 and find out what you're eligible for.