Airboaters Continue to Help Flood Victims
After providing transportation to and from the Park for nearly 6 hours Saturday, airboat volunteers arrived again today to shuttle residents, their insurance adjusters, members of FEMA and the Polk County Property Appraiser's Office - Disaster Team to and from the now island mobile home park.
Lake Wales, FL (PRWEB) October 7, 2004 -- Members of the Florida Airboat
Association continue to assist the residents of the Peace Creek RV and Mobile
Home Park, near Lake Wales gain access to their homes.
Since the only
access to the Park, a nearly one mile winding paved road, was flooded-out by
rain delivered by Hurricane Jeanne on September 26th, residents have been unable
to reach their homes that now stand on an island.
Hurricane Jeanne dumped
between 8-10 inches of water on already saturated Polk County, that had received
direct hits by both hurricanes Charley and Frances not more than 6 weeks before.
The rain from Hurricane Jeanne converted the sprawling green cattle pasture into
a 1,500 acre shallow lake, laden with submerged fence lines, downed trees,
floating vegetation and storm debris from the mobile home park.
Until
Saturday, one week following their evacuation from the park ahead of the arrival
of Hurricane Jeanne, residents could only stand at the Park's entrance off of US
Highway 27 and stare across the new lake and wonder what condition their homes
were in.
Learning of the situation, members of the Florida Airboat
Association mobilized and volunteered the use of their time and their airboats
to transport the Park's residents the nearly one mile across debris choked and
contaminated water to the island where their homes now stand.
Park
residents met the volunteer airboat pilots with mixed emotions. Grateful for the
opportunity to inspect their homes, yet apprehensive about what they might find
on the island. With anxiety high, Park residents boarded the airboats for the
2-3 minute ride to the new island.
After providing rides to and from the
Park for nearly 6 hours on Saturday, airboat volunteers arrived again today to
shuttle other Park residents to and from their homes, accompanied by their
insurance adjusters.
In addition, to providing rides to the Park's
residents the airboaters provided transportation to agents from the Polk County
Property Appraiser's Office - Disaster Team and representatives from FEMA who
inspected the property and offered assistance to those who where in need of
it.
For many of both the Park's residents and FEMA represenatives, it was
their first ride on an airboat. Park resident Robin Glasure described her first
airboat ride as "the most exciting experience to come out of a disaster." Her
husband Jim stated "If you have to experience a disaster a ride on an airboat is
the way to do it."
The representatives from FEMA stated that after they
go back and tell their co-workers about their airboat ride, "There will be a
line of vehicles down Highway 27 waiting for their turn to ride."
Members
of the Florida Airboat Association will continue to volunteer their time and
make their airboats available to anyone who needs them, as long as
necessary.
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2004/10/prweb165652.htm