Hurricane Idalia may have flooded Eileen Lilley’s home, but it didn’t dampen her spirits Friday as she worked to rebuild and recover with the help of her community.
Idalia struck her town of Horseshoe Beach in Florida’s Big Bend on Wednesday morning.
The hurricane brought with it several feet of storm surge, as seen from a line of dark water reaching the white sill of Lilley’s pistachio-green house.
She had evacuated before the storm, struggling to salvage what she could.
She took her children’s baby pictures, some of their artwork, and some of their clothes, but in her haste to escape the oncoming hurricane, she forgot to take her husband, Jim’s, wedding rings.
“He passed away a year and a half ago from Alzheimer’s,” Lilley told FOX Weather multimedia journalist Katie Byrne. She added that Jim was a Navy veteran. “I took care of him until I couldn’t take care of him anymore.”
Eileen Lilley speaks to FOX Weather following the damage caused by Idalia to her town of Horseshoe Beach. Katie Byrne/FOX Time
He only realized he had left the rings behind when he arrived at a motel to escape Idalia.
When the storm made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane, with strong winds and storm surge that destroyed homes along Florida’s Gulf Coast, Lilley feared the storm had lost its rings.
After Idalia passed away, Lilley returned to her neighborhood to assess the consequences.
“I just can’t believe the devastation,” he said. “Yesterday I was on streets where I have friends, I was looking around and suddenly I had to stop in the street because I didn’t know what street I was on. There is nothing recognizable.”
Lilley returned home to find her belongings drenched from being under several feet of water. Miraculously, however, her home remained intact.
“There was a wall around her from the Lord. He saved it for me,” she said. He pointed out that since his house was uninhabitable, he was able to stay with his church family.
Even though her household belongings were soaked, Eileen Lilley found her home miraculously intact after the storm. Katie Byrne/FOX Weather
He also said he received help from an aide to the Florida governor, Ron DeSantis, who visited Lilley’s church to see how he and his team could help.
After hearing Lilley’s story, the assistant arranged for a trailer to be brought to Lilley’s property so he could have a place to stay close to his home.
Lilley also told the attendant about Jim’s rings and how they were left behind during the storm.
Debris from homes washed from their lots clogs a channel between homes on stilts that remain standing, in Horseshoe Beach, Fla., on Aug. 31, 2023. AP
He asked her to describe where the rings were, then went into her house to find the jewelry box that contained them.
“And he got it for me,” Lilley said as she fought back tears. “And the rings are still there.”
In addition, an American flag that was folded during Jim’s funeral was also located.
A stilt-less house that broke free of its blocks sits partially submerged in a canal, in Horseshoe Beach, Fla., on Sept. 1, 2023. AP
As Lilley plans her next steps to get her home back, she will stay in the trailer with her cat and dog.
While the future may seem uncertain, Lilley takes solace in the support of her community and the items and memorabilia she keeps from Jim.
“I am totally in awe and totally blessed,” she said.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn