PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — Charlotte County is providing free supplies to people as they recover from the impact of Hurricane Helene.
On Monday morning, dozens of people lined up outside the Port Charlotte Town Center to receive food, water and tarps. The effort, supported by the Florida National Guard, aims to help families in area that saw six to seven feet of storm surge.
"Water got in my sister’s house ankle-deep, and it came right up to my carport like instant," said Floyd Cooper, who was at the distribution event to pick up supplies.
Watch as the Florida National Guard distributes supplies:
"It's so blessed. I like it when the community comes together," Cooper added.
The distribution center is one of two in Port Charlotte offering assistance to the community in the wake of severe flooding. At least three full trucks of supplies arrived in the morning.
“You know, you can protect yourself from that wind, but there’s nothing you can do to protect yourself from that water,” said Don Rolfsen, a resident of the Old District.
Rolfsen said his family’s home, owned since the 1980s, was severely impacted by Helene. He says it caused more damage than Hurricane Ian.
"I had tools, boxes that got submerged in saltwater and everything. Anything on the floor that we didn’t expect to get wet got ruined. You know, saltwater ruins everything," he explained.
While Rolfsen said that while the distribution center is helpful, recovery for the community will take time.
“We couldn’t afford flood insurance. It was over $5,000 per year, and the house had never gotten flooded in 100 years, so we thought we’d just go without it. Now, we’re going to have losses from all of that work,” Rolfsen said.
Charlotte County’s emergency response team plans to continue distributing supplies at both the Town Center Mall and Tringali Park community centers. The centers will operate from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., or until supplies run out.
You can find future distribution events here.
