FORT WHITE – Carl Lynn has plenty of experience, both from the National Guard and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, in dealing with disaster response.
Hurricane Helene, though, provided a different vantage point of that response for Lynn, a Fort White resident.
Lynn was at the Fort White Community Center on Sunday afternoon, gathering water and MREs for his wife and himself.
“I know how they work and they're all doing a good job,” Lynn said after he grabbed his supplies from workers inside the community center. “I'm on the other side this time.”
Nearly 220 people had visited the community center by 4 p.m. Saturday to get some of the basic necessities that were being provided by Emergency Management. A pair of people were still sheltering at the location. Ice was also available from a truck in the parking lot. Showers, laundry stations and restrooms were open at the Fort White Library across State Road 47.
At the Deep Creek Community Center, county employees working as shelter support staff gave out two pallets of MREs as well as water and other supplies. There were at least five people who were still sheltering at the site. Other people who visited the site used the showers or laundry units that were on site.
Throughout Sunday, more than 50 families utilized the services at Deep Creek Community Center for the day shift employees who had been there from 6 a.m.-4 p.m.
At the Winfield Community Center, more than 137 families were served on Sunday from 6 a.m.-4 p.m. on Sunday. Many of the people that visited the Winfield location got ice, MREs, water and a tarp, if needed. There were at least six people sheltering at the site.
While Lynn, who added he had also went to Branford earlier Sunday to a comfort station there to get a shower, was gathering a few supplies, his biggest concern moving forward as his remote neighborhood off a dirt road was still without power, were the animals on his 30-acre property. Lynn said without power, he can't operate the well to provide his horses and cows with water.
The former Pennsylvania resident who moved to Florida to retire years ago said this was the worst of the 15-plus storms he's experienced in his new southern home.
“They say it sounds like a freight train,” Lynn said of a tornado. “Well, this was like a freight train for a couple hours.
“We could feel our mobile home move. We should have evacuated.”
Also grabbing supplies Sunday was Tylin Jones from Lake City. Jones said his kids are all from Fort White and while he sustained minimal damage – just a little bit of siding off his residence – he was thankful for the assistance being provided.
“Anything helps,” he said. “I'm so glad it wasn't worse.”