Organizations come together to provide Debby relief for Sarasota residents

MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — Sarasota residents received much-needed help after enduring the aftermath of Debby.

Local nonprofits are donating supplies and offering free resources to residents impacted by the storm. The Community Engagement Administrator for Rebuilding Together Tampa Bay, Chris Reesor, says they have hundreds of supplies available for those in need

“We just want to put together as many of these as possible, in partnership with the Home Depot Foundation, local representatives and community centers, just like this one that can host the capacity of cars coming through,” Reesor said.

“Really, it’s just about having people who prepared or being able to bounce back from a storm,” he said.

Living in Sarasota all her life, Mary Butler has been through many storms, but she says Debby was one of the worst she has ever experienced.

“All of this was above the water. This is one of my gardens — at least it was. But this right here looked like this. But now look at it. So much water. It just all fell apart,” she said.

When the storm rolled through, it flooded her property and her house.

“When I woke up at like 4:30 in the morning, there was water on the floor. So, I got my family out because we still had electricity, but we also had stuff plugged in too. So I was like, ‘We gotta get out of here. I don’t know what was live and what was not live,” she said.

Butler is not only getting help from the city — she’s also utilizing local nonprofits like “Rebuilding Together Tampa Bay.” The organization is providing items like tarps and cleaning supplies to about 300 people in Sarasota.

“The relief is good. I’m glad we have others coming out. I mean, I got some face masks, I got a tarp, I got some cleaning supplies,” she said.

After removing the water from her house, now she’s in “fix-it” mode.

“Every little bit helps. You know, I have some cleaning kits that I could actually use. You know, I could use them on the floor. So I’m really grateful,” she said.

She also received an air purifier from the organization.

“It’ll help with mold and mildew,” she said.

With help from the community, Butler can start rebuilding. She says no matter what the weather brings, this is her home, and she’s here to stay.

Rebuilding Together Tampa Bay plans to hold more of these events in Sarasota once they get more supplies.