Volunteers carry supplies up 15 flights

They deliver food and more to residents stuck in homes at local retirement tower

Volunteers carried bags of food, ice and other supplies up 15 flights of stairs and through the darkened hallways of the Kinneret Apartments retirement complex in Orlando on Wednesday, making deliveries to residents stuck in their homes after Hurricane Irma.

In a matter of two hours, more than 50 parents and kids from Boy Scouts Troop 24, First United Methodist Church of Orlando and United Against Poverty delivered supplies to people who had been stuck in their apartments because the elevators had stopped working.

Orlando District Fire Chief Bryan Davis said his team responded to a medical emergency at the Delaney Avenue complex and realized most of the people living there were running out of supplies and had no way of leaving the building.

Firefighters reached out to the Orlando Utilities Commission to expedite the restoration of power — which it was Wednesday afternoon.

Volunteers were stationed throughout the dark stairways at Kinneret, lighting the way with their phones for others to deliver the packages.

Edwin Narvaez, 64, and his wife, Nelida Cintron, 60, live on the 15th floor.

“I haven’t been able to leave because [my wife] just had knee surgery,” said Narvaez, who is also a member of First United Methodist Church of Orlando.

Randy Eby, 22, said he heard about the event through an email from the church.

“A lot of them are really happy to see people as well, I think … they’ve been cooped up because of the storm,” said Eby, who said he had been up to the 15th and 10th floors five or six times.

When power was restored, residents throughout the building cheered.

Virginia Ramirez, 86, who lives on the 15th floor, said she was grateful to have power back because she had barely slept in the past few days.

“It was very ugly,” Ramirez said. “At least now we have power and air conditioning … Tomorrow, we will finally drink fresh cafecito.”

“A lot of them are really happy to see people as well, I think … they’ve been cooped up because of the storm.” Randy Eby, volunteer

PHOTOS BY JOE BURBANK/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER (ABOVE); COURTESY PHOTO (BELOW) Orlando City Commissioner Patty Sheehan hands bags of ice provided by the Orlando Fire Department to volunteers to deliver to Kinneret Apartments residents. Below, volunteers pose in front of the complex.