Dade City church guts homes, provides hope to neighborhood in pain after Milton
Nov 23, 2024
It wasnt a typical church service.Saturday morning, outside St. Rita Catholic Church in Dade City, there were boxes of masks and gloves. Worshippers were covered head-to-toe in protective suits.Teams left the church parking lot and arrived at a neighborhood a few miles north.Their mission? Building up their community by tearing it down.Its rewarding. It fulfills your need as a calling from God, said Isabel Garcia, one of the many volunteers. Doing our work and preaching with our hands.She was one of more than a hundred volunteers who set out to make a difference in Ridge Manor, a Hernando County neighborhood hit hard by Hurricane Milton.Most of the homes in the neighborhood were inundated with 1 to 4 feet of water in the aftermath of Milton when rivers in the area crested.Garcia and the others helped remove moldy drywall and furniture from almost a dozen homes.Deanna Zerbes home was on the list. Like the others, it took on water after Milton.People say, Oh, you can stay. You dont need to leave. Its going to stop. Its going to stop. And it never stops. And then, we have no choice," Zerbe said. "Dont leave yet. You still dont have to leave. And its this far from our door. Dont leave. Its going to stop. Its going to stop.But it didnt stop. Her house only got a couple of inches in some spots, but even that turned into a moldy mess.Shes now in a predicament she never thought she would experience.[I'm] homeless, pretty much, Zerbe said bluntly.She doesnt know how shell make it work, what kind of financial help she will receive from insurance or FEMA, or if shell ever live in her home again.I'm just numb, very numb, Zerbe said. The tears Ive cried so many tears. Enough to fill the whole neighborhood. But its just heartbreaking.But, as workers gutted her home Saturday, she could hope for a brighter tomorrow.I just hope that we all continue to stick together so that we can get through this time, Zerbe said.