Law enforcement helps Panhandle hurricane victims
Santa may wear a red suit, but some of his helpers are dressed in green and blue uniforms and sport badges on their chests. Thankfully, for the residents of the hurricane-ravaged Panhandle, they have already made one visit from Central Florida – and they plan to keep helping during the holidays.
It's been almost two months since Hurricane Michael roared ashore and marched through the Panhandle. But the devastation the storm left behind and the painful memories it brought are still fresh on everyone's minds.
As Michael slammed into Calhoun County on Oct. 10, local resident Marilyn Vincent took shelter at Altha High School. Standing behind some double doors, she watched through a window as the school's new gym ripped apart, debris flying through the air. Outside, trees and trailers were uprooted from the ground in the Category 4 storm's fierce 155 mph winds.
The only thing she could do was wait for the storm to pass, wondering what conditions would be like when it was finally safe to go outside.
“We just had no idea when we got out what kind of devastation we were going to be looking at,'' said Vincent, 55, a computer lab instructor at nearby Blountstown High School. “It's still surreal and you just can't wrap your mind around what happened here. You drive down the road and you just cry because there's so many homes gone, there's blue tarps on everybody's home … it's just true devastation.”
Vincent was one of 14,000 residents of Calhoun County impacted by Michael, which made landfall on Mexico Beach and devastated this largely rural area, which was unprepared for what was only 2 mph shy of being a Category 5 storm.
But Michael's victims got help from Central Florida. Seminole County sent a battalion of relief workers on Oct. 11, the day after the storm roared ashore. Every police department in the county and the sheriff's office contributed to an initial force of 29 officers, accompanied by cooks, engineers and maintenance personnel to provide security, distribute supplies and check on the well-being of residents. Law enforcement officers from Orange and Lake also made trips to the Panhandle to help.
Vincent's house was heavily damaged by two fallen trees. She lives by herself and was left without electricity or cell service for days after the storm passed. So when Sgt. Sean Coyle of the Seminole County Sheriff's Office brought her supplies and tarps for her roof, she considered him a godsend.
Tipped off by Vincent's former students, Coyle went searching for her after hearing she had a flat tire. He found her stranded on a roadside being helped by Ocala officers and asked if she needed more help.
She told Coyle that because she lives by herself out in the country, she was scared of going outside at night to fill her generator with gas; she feared being attacked by looters. So every morning and every night, Coyle would visit her house to fill up her generator, drink coffee and keep her informed about the ongoing relief efforts.
“He was so good to me,'' Vincent said. “He checked in on me every day, bought me breakfast every day and made sure I had gas for my generator and had deputies come by so I wouldn't have to fill the generator in the dark by myself.''
Coyle was affected by what he saw. As he was returning home from the deployment, he kept wondering why there were so many motorcyclists on I-95. Then he remembered that Biketoberfest was happening in Daytona.
“And I'm like, in Daytona we're having a motorcycle event that's going on nationwide where people are coming in from all over the country, but three hours away there's people with no running water, no electricity, no food – that have lost everything – and this is within our own country,” Coyle said.
Even though the contingent of Seminole deputies, officers and aid workers has returned home, the recovery efforts in Calhoun County continues. The Seminole County Sheriff's Office remains committed to helping Calhoun County residents as the holidays approach. The agency has adopted the county and is coordinating a Christmas donation drive for children. They are asking for toys, clothes, school supplies and Walmart gift cards. Donations can be dropped off at any Seminole County police department, provided that the donor specify the gift is for Calhoun County.
“The true heroes are neighbors helping neighbors,” Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma said. “And they are those who are willing to give all to those who have very little.”