The Heroes of Hernando County

Working my way through the devastation brought to coastal Hernando County last week by Hurricane Helene, I couldn’t help but notice the genuine outpouring of the human spirit in the recovery efforts. As the waterlogged and exhausted residents of Hernando Beach and Aripeka emerged to salvage what was left of their belongings, an army of friends and neighbors descended on the area with one goal – to help their fellow community members.

It would be impossible to individually recognize all of the first responders, churches, civic groups, businesses, school organizations, and individual citizens who gave up their time and resources to the point of exhaustion.

Perhaps even more important than the physical services you provided is what you did to lift the spirits of those going through one of the darkest times in their lives—a simple kind word, a sandwich, or a prayer went farther than you will ever know. So, to all of you, a big thank you from your community. You have once again shown the GOOD in humanity.

Sarah Watson of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS) may have put it best when she said “The main thing is to give everyone hope, to encourage them to look for miracles.” LDS fielded over 200 members in the clean-up effort, nearly all of them local residents. Watson said that most of their members usually journey to Utah this year for a church conference, but recognizing the local need, their team stayed behind and committed to a planned five-week effort. The group has assisted in every way they could find to help, whether it is with debris removal or handing out food. “ We are here to help anyone we can, even if it’s just saying a prayer with them,” she said. Church member and local resident William Cooper said of their efforts, “Some people want to donate money or tip us for the help,” he said, adding, “We won’t take it, we just ask them to pay it forward.”

Groups providing local relief have also found ways to multiply their efforts. The LDS group, for example, is coordinating with the United Cajun Navy (UCN) by sharing a common command post and distribution point at the Hernando Beach VFW.

In turn, LDS and UCN have joined an online network of other relief groups called Crisis Cleanup, which serves as a centralized point for storm victims to get the type of help they need. When someone arrives at a relief organization’s command post, volunteers enter a “work order” into the system for them. Crisis Cleanup’s platform then publishes the work order, allowing local organizations equipped to do so to pick up and respond to the tasking. According to the Crisis Cleanup website (CrisisCleanup.org) , 2500 volunteer organizations nationwide have cleaned up over 80,000 disaster-stricken homes, saving disaster survivors a total of almost $47,000 each day. Several of Hernando County’s volunteer groups such as social media groups Spring Hill Neighbors and Weeki Wachee Forum, both on Facebook, have joined Crisis Cleanup, and also use it to coordinate their relief activities.

Even student organizations have pitched in to help the cleanup effort. Central High School’s Navy JROTC unit was able to field nearly 100 cadets on two consecutive weekends, providing a significant labor force to help homeowners with debris removal.

Cadet Natalee Scanniello recalled working with other cadets to help elderly, mobility-impaired residents. “As a team, we helped her move furniture and somewhat restore normalcy in her home, which she greatly appreciated”, Scannellio said. Naval Science Instructor LCDR Christian Cruz said this encounter particularly moved him, as the woman was in tears, and the cadets all took time to hug her in reassurance that everything would be okay.

Naval Science Instructor Senior Chief Franco Colamarco also expressed his pride in the work of the cadets. Coalmarco spoke of another resident who was “in tears” the whole time cadets were there. Their team removed all of the furniture from the house, significantly easing the burden on the property owner. A moved Calamarco said, “ This is an experience I and our cadets will never forget.”

The stories go on and on, and of this writing, the area is preparing for a second hurricane in the two weeks since Helene. Whatever future storms bring, Hernando County can rest easy knowing they can rely on a determined community that cares.