PASCO COUNTY, Fla. — Nearly a year after powerful hurricanes damaged or destroyed more than 8,000 homes in Pasco County, the recovery remains far from complete. But amid the struggle, one man’s generosity is giving hope to a woman who lost everything.
When Hurricane Helene’s floodwaters rushed into her Port Richey home, Lola Manley and her boyfriend escaped with their dogs and nothing else.
“I remember that night vividly because it will haunt me forever,” she said. “I just remember calling my best friend and saying I don't know what's gonna happen. I don't know if I'm gonna live. I love you. If I get out I'll call you.”
The couple made it out safely, but when they returned, Manley said there was nothing left.
“Right when you think you’ve grown and you’ve built a life and then to see it all kind of tumble down. I just turned back here,” she said.
After her mother died a few years ago, the house fell into disrepair.
“I couldn’t let go of the house but I couldn’t afford to fix it,” she said.
Manley and her boyfriend have been living with family while she holds on to the dream of one day returning to her childhood home.
“That was another blow when you hear that it costs hundreds and thousands of dollars just to fix up, you know, the house that once used to be your home,” she said.
Hope arrived just days ago at her church, when Manley, a middle school teacher, met neighborhood handyman and contractor Joe Seabolt.
Seabolt, who is in recovery from drug addiction, recently founded Poor In Spirit Ministries. His mission, he said, is to help 12 families recover from the hurricanes.
“It’s just me and it’s our money getting things started, so we are willing to brunt the cost upfront whatever that may look like,” Seabolt said.
He said he believes others will join the effort.
“If it has to be some strain on us then there is going to be some strain on us but we know that God is behind us,” Seabolt said.
Restoring Manley’s home will likely take many months, but she said she can now imagine that day.
“Really my dream would be just to have it fixed one day. One day be able to live in it. Maybe raise a family in it. And see it for what it used to be, just to honor my mom and my family,” Manley said.
Seabolt is raising money for his ministry through GoFundMe
There are some truly inspiring people who call the Tampa Bay area home. People who overcome odds that others could not even imagine. Tampa Bay 28 anchor Lauren St. Germain met a woman who is doing just that, as she competes at an international level after 2 life-saving lung transplants.
