OLD TOWN, Fla. (WCJB) – Elderly and low-income residents of Dixie County are struggling to clean up the mess left behind by Hurricane Debby, so one man has taken the initiative.
Debris, including fallen trees, still lies littered on many properties in Dixie County.
Elderly and low-income residents say they are frustrated by the lack of assistance and the high cost of clearing the debris.
An 88-year-old resident of the old town has a large tree in her garden and could not move it.
“They need help. I know I could use help, but I also know that what I have is minimal compared to what they have, so their needs should come first,” said Mary Goodrich, an Old Town resident.
Goodrich, who has been without power this week, said she finally took a shower after having nowhere to wash.
“I was really angry. I got an electrical cord, wired up my pump, plugged it into the generator and hosed myself down,” Goodrich said.
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Now, Goodrich says, her biggest concern is helping the elderly and low-income people who need it.
Residents say fortunately, a Dixie County resident took it upon himself to go out into the community and help those in need by clearing debris from their yards.
“A lot of people can’t pull out of their driveway and stuff. Some of them have oxygen tanks and stuff. They need to have access to get to the hospital and back,” said JJ Polk, a resident. “That’s another reason I do it, because if I can’t go out and do it and nobody else does it, they could die there and nobody would know.”
Polk says that even though he has a broken arm, he felt called as a Christian to take on this role and help people for free.
“As long as we can feed ourselves and stay alive, I have no objection to helping other people,” Polk said.
Polk says he decided to help because he didn’t know who else would have done it.
He says if anyone would like to donate to help him afford more supplies to clean the yards, they can donate through his CashApp $Alyssaann110303.
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