Support Maria Jacobs Hurricane Ian Relief

Hi!

My Name is Maria; I am 50 years old and am the proud mother of a 32-year-old son and grandmother to a beautiful 4-year-old granddaughter. I was born and raised in Greece and have been working since I was 12 years old. I immigrated to the USA at 18 years old.

I work for Curran Taylor Inc and have been for almost 20 years. Six years ago, I bought my first house, and with the help of my son (every time he visits from Orlando), we have been trying to make minor renovations/improvements.

Then Hurricane Ian came! All the hard work we put into the house was gone instantly! On the day of the hurricane, around 9:00 AM, my nephew forced me to drive to the East Coast to escape. We drove through the storm to get there 3 hours later. However, by 4:00 pm, I couldn’t stand waiting around any more and decided to drive back home to try and save my belongings!

Once I got half a mile away from my home, I found that police officers were blocking the way due to the flood waters. I spoke to the officer and gave him my driver’s license, and he said, “I am so sorry, but your house is underwater.” I immediately broke out in tears, and he pulled me over and told me just to sit there and gather myself. However, I was determined to get home!

I tried every route I could think of to get home. I drove through all the nasty water until I saw cars floating next to me (others were trying the same thing, but I had an SUV). Then the water got too deep, and I had to turn around. I spent the night in my car at the local Walmart with emergency responders, and the next morning at 6:00 AM, I could drive home.

When I pulled up to my home, I realized that Mother Nature had changed the lives for many of us and that the recovery from the devastation would be hard. Precious memories like videos of my little boy, pictures, and gifts were destroyed, not to mention beds, pillows, and furniture; everything in your house that you’ve been slowly working on getting all your life was ruined.

Seeing your things destroyed and all the time it took to get those things change you. Everything in my house was put on the curb where looters were scavenging like vultures; seeing that changes you. Now, the place you go to get away from it all, relax, feel safe and decompress is a disaster. My home is a chaotic, moldy, and empty cell. No walls, no cabinets, no sinks. Seeing all of this was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before.

Yes, you feel fortunate to have your life, and yes, others have it worse, but that still doesn’t change the fact that the pain, the loss, and the helplessness trigger emotions you did not even realize you had. Nothing in my experience has compared to this!

For the last month, I have significantly taken advantage of 32-gallon trash cans (Thank you, Curran Taylor and Winco). I have no washer, dryer, range, or refrigerator; those are all luxuries to me now! All the clothes that I was able to save are in 32-gallon trash cans.

Trying to get ready for work every day is not easy. Trying to figure out how to do this myself is not easy. Trying to work 9-5 and go home to work on your house is not easy. I live in Naples, FL, where the million-dollar homes come first, and everything costs quadruple the money.

All this in the last month stressed me out to the extreme, and new issues keep arising! Now I guess I am allergic to mold! My lungs are inflamed, and the saga of stress continues. I am tired, frustrated, and angry, but I know I will get through this one way or another!