The Dark Cloud Has A Silver Lining
Release Date: November 24, 2004
Release Number: FNF-04-035
PENSACOLA -- A string of paper pumpkins and Halloween lights adorn the small landing leading to Shelley’s new temporary trailer – a decorative touch that delights Haley, her 8-year-old daughter.
Shelley has made an effort to install all the comforts of home at a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)/State Emergency Response Team (SERT) Emergency Group Site in Pensacola, FL. The air inside is scented with potpourri and aromatic candles, and a bouquet of artificial roses sits in the kitchen.
“Some call these trailers small, but I prefer cute,” she said. “I tried to make it as comfy as possible. I’m just so relieved to have it at all.”
When asked about her Thanksgiving Day plans, Shelley said, “at first I had planned to bake a turkey now that I have a roof over my head, but then the Waterfront Rescue Mission–a group dedicated to helping less fortunate folks–told me they were going to bring three turkey dinners to me. This will be enough food to have leftovers later in the day, just like we always did at home.”
During Hurricane Ivan, Shelley was living in a two-bedroom apartment in Pensacola with her two children and no electrical power. She needed not only a new home, but also a new liver. A few days before Ivan struck, her doctor told her she should probably “get her affairs in order” because she had end-stage liver disease – her only hope for survival was a transplant.
Although her apartment didn’t sustain much structural damage, the rest of the complex was badly damaged. “We just had some wet carpeting and warped furniture. We figured once the electricity was turned back on, we’d be able to clean up and continue to live there.”
Little did she know, the electricity would never be turned back on. The entire apartment complex was condemned and all the tenants were ordered to leave.
“Thank God the phone still worked,” she said. “I was calling over a dozen apartment buildings and everything was full. I had to quit my job after being hospitalized before the storm, so I was not on the top of anybody’s waiting list.” Her brother lives in nearby Gulf Breeze, but his home was damaged as well, and her father was moving out of state. “I didn’t know where I was going to go,” she said.
FEMA Housing Strike Team staff arrived at her door just in time. The teams include construction and housing experts as well as engineers, and their mission is to use every possible resource to get temporary housing for those in desperate need. The teams are working with local leaders to get people a roof over their heads as soon as possible after they sign on.
Shelley was transferred to a FEMA/SERT Emergency Group Site set up for just this purpose. Now she can focus on arranging her medical care. Adam, her 21-year-old son, had moved in with her in August to help care for her after she was hospitalized. Shelley knows she has a lot of work ahead. If she does get her liver transplant, she will need around-the-clock care for six months and have to pay for thousands of dollars in medications that Medicare and Medicaid won’t cover. “But the doctors tell me if I get the transplant and stay on medication, I can have a normal life.”
Right now, she strives to keep her life as normal as possible in her temporary FEMA travel trailer. A green felt hat that is supposed to be a pumpkin stem hangs on a hook by her door. She made the hat at the local church where she is a volunteer. “I’m going to dress up as a pumpkin and read to the children on Halloween,” she said. “All I can do is try to stay positive.”
Last Modified: Wednesday, 24-Nov-2004 15:31:44