JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A sudden and severe storm has left several Jacksonville families displaced after tearing through the city’s Westside. The storm, which hit on Tuesday, caused significant damage to transitional housing operated by a local nonprofit.
Three of the fifteen homes operated by the City Rescue Mission’s Homes of Hope were severely damaged during the storm.
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“There was a primary structure of an entire porch right here,” said Paul Stasi, Executive Director of the City Rescue Mission.
Roofs were punctured by falling debris, water flooded inside, a massive tree fell on top of one of the houses, and ceilings collapsed—forcing three families out of their homes.
Stasi, who leads the program, showed the extent of the damage inside one of the homes that had recently housed a family.
“All three homes were occupied. The one behind us had two women living in it,” he said.
The house next to it had a mother and three children inside, and another home was occupied by one man.
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“I’m just thankful to God that everyone is ok,” said Stasi.
He added that the storm hit at a challenging time, as the organization was already dealing with summer heat and increased demand for services.
“So we’re opening our cooling centers downtown, so you know need is up, donations have been down, and then this happened,” he said.
Despite the damage, Stasi said progress has already begun. By Wednesday, fallen trees had been removed, tarps had been placed on the homes, and one of the houses had been fully repaired—allowing a family to move back in before the weekend.
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The other two families will be temporarily relocated until repairs are completed.
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Stasi noted that one of their main goals is to replace the roofs of the damaged homes.
The nonprofit is calling on the community to help raise emergency funds to support the recovery efforts.
The City Rescue Mission said repairs could take weeks, depending on funding and contractor availability.
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