NORTH PORT, Fla. — Stacey Smith lives in North Port’s Holiday Mobile Home Park. She did not evacuate before Hurricane Ian hit and took shelter inside her closet.
“I was horrified. I was horrified. My trailer was shaken back and forth. I mean, I just didn’t know what to do,” Smith said. “I just had my suitcase over here. I just had some pillows and towels, and I just laid down here, and that’s where I stood until I heard no more wind.”
Smith showed ABC Action News the extensive damage to her home. The roof over her laundry room was completely blown off. There’s water damage that she fears will quickly grow mold with no air conditioning since her power has been out for the last five days.
“I thought a tornado came through just the way the trailer was shaking,” she said. “I lost everything. I lost the sheets, towels. I lost my dining room table. The only thing I have is my couch.”
Many of the mobile homes in this area are a complete loss. Smith’s neighbors lost their entire roof, which slammed into the side of her place.
For Smith, what makes this even more painful is the sudden death of her boyfriend just a few months ago.
“I just wish the hurricane just took me,” she said. “It’s just awful going through this alone and then losing my boyfriend and then I can’t do anything.”
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