LAKELAND, Fla. — Nearly two weeks after Hurricane Milton hit the Tampa Bay Area, some older residents still struggle to recover.
People living at Light and Life Mobile Home Park have lost so much from Milton.
The residents of the 55-plus park, located at 5604 Deeson Rd. in Lakeland, have barely scratched the surface when it comes to cleaning up the devastation. Up to 7 feet of water flooded 170 homes.
“As the water kept going down, that’s when it started to get harder because then you got to see that you’ve lost everything. So many neighbors lost everything,” said Jayme Sinsmyr.
The road to recovery is long, as the seniors simply can’t do the taxing labor of moving furniture, gutting, and tearing out walls. Neighbors in the park are pitching in to help with debris and salvage what they can, but they desperately need help.
“People who are willing to go in and lift heavy stuff out of houses, pull out carpet, help us cut walls. Our first thing is getting houses stripped of the stuff that needs to come out. So, I need bodies. I’m crying uncle, we need help over here,” said Sinsmyr.
Many residents are seasonal and have not yet been able to return to their homes and clean. Their homes are still in shambles from the flood waters.
“There’s just furniture upside down, refrigerators on their back, tossed around laying on top of other stuff. Dryers the same thing, they would float and move wherever. It's just a pile of mess,” said Stan Welton, Light and Life Park Administrator.
If you’d like to help, call Jayme Sinsmyr at 231-838-6164 or Jeff Bellinger at 716-720-0387.
"It doesn't make any sense."
FEMA guidelines for debris removal do not include condos or condominiums because they are considered commercial enterprises. A public information officer for the City of Clearwater told ABC Action News, "We are not removing debris from condos; we do consider them commercial."
