“I Have a Home Again”: Community Partners Restore Normalcy for Hurricane Survivor

PALM COAST, Fla. – For Jeff Angevine, seeing the completion of needed repairs after hurricane damage affect his home, it meant finally reclaiming the everyday comforts—and sense of security—that once seemed so far away.

After living with parts of his home damaged or unusable as a result of Hurricane Milton in 2024, Angevine recently joined representatives from several disaster-recovery organizations to celebrate the completion of more than $30,000 in repairs.

“It was one of those ‘ah’ moments where you just sit back and go, ‘Wow, I have a home again,’” Angevine said. “I’ve been living with pieces here and pieces there, making this work and making that work. Now I can use that bathroom and shower. I’ve got a sliding glass door that I can go in and out of.”

The repairs were made possible through a coordinated partnership involving Flagler Volunteer Services and the Flagler Long-Term Recovery Group, supported by a Volunteer Florida grant, along with the American Red Cross, The Salvation Army, and Endeavors.

At a mini ribbon-cutting celebrating the home’s restoration, Flagler Volunteer Services Executive Director Suzy Gamblain said seeing hurricane survivors regain a sense of normalcy is the most rewarding part of disaster-recovery work.

“It’s the best part of the job,” Gamblain said.

Angevine’s recovery illustrates why long-term recovery groups are so important after a disaster. While emergency response begins immediately following a storm, the path home can take months—or longer—for survivors facing extensive damage, financial limitations and complicated repair needs.

Tom Eglinton, long-term recovery program coordinator for The Salvation Army’s Florida Divisional Headquarters, said the occasion was about celebrating the milestone with Angevine after the damage caused by Hurricane Milton.

“It’s amazing to see the collaboration of efforts and resources to help this fine family get back to a normal state,” Eglinton said.

For Eglinton, each completed home remains meaningful because every survivor matters.

“Everyone matters, or no one matters,” he said. “Everything we do is not for us; it’s for them. It’s for those in need, and that’s ultimately our mission. We assist without reservation or discrimination.”

No single organization could have completed the project alone. Eglinton described interagency cooperation as an essential best practice in long-term disaster recovery.

“We need the communication and collaboration of all parties involved who have like-minded goals,” he said. “One agency cannot do it alone.”

Holly Mason, program manager for Endeavors in Northeast Florida, said seeing the results of the project—and the smile on Angevine’s face—provides motivation to continue working through funding applications, building partnerships and finding the resources needed to help other survivors.

“It’s everything,” Mason said. “This gives me the motivation to keep fighting through all the funding applications and finding new partnerships. It’s very rewarding.”

For Mason, the completed project represented exactly what disaster-recovery work should accomplish.

“Jeff is amazing. His home is amazing, and this is what’s right and what should be done,” she said.

Angevine praised the workmanship, communication and coordinated efforts that helped restore his home.

“Everything came together very well,” he said. “Everybody—with the coordinated effort and the communication—was fabulous. It got done, and people did a great job fixing things and putting it all together.”

He expressed gratitude to every organization and individual involved, calling the completed work “a total blessing.”

Angevine also offered encouragement to other hurricane survivors still navigating the long-term recovery process.

“Just trust the process,” he said. “I know sometimes things lag, and you worry about it. At the end of the day, it’s done.”

For the agencies and volunteers gathered to celebrate, the ribbon-cutting marked more than the completion of a repair project. It represented the power of organizations working together, combining funding, expertise and compassion to help a neighbor move beyond disaster.

For Jeff Angevine, it marked something even more personal – the moment a storm-damaged house once again became home.

Author’s Note: A special thanks to Heather Thompson of HT Production Company for supporting the ribbon cutting.