Bonita Springs woman helpless after tree falls on home

Published: Updated:

BONITA SPRINGS, Fla. It’s been almost two months since Francis Lopez slept inside her home, thanks to Hurricane Irma.

A downed tree still remains in the middle of her trailer home in Bonita Springs. While she has received some help, no one has been able to remove it.

Lopez, who is now displaced and is temporarily living with one of her sons, believes a language barrier is making it harder for her to ask for the help she needs.

Miguel Valadez, a volunteer from Oklahoma, met Lopez during his time helping Irma victims in Southwest Florida.

“She did go out to FEMA and they gave her a number and they called her once to ask how she’s doing and she said she’s living with her son and that’s all that they asked,” Valadez said.

Volunteer church groups helped Lopez remove debris around her home, but they did not have the right equipment to remove the tree.

“She was pretty persistent to get help and I commend her for that. You have to be in survival mode,” Valadez said.

Lopez also spoke to her neighbor, which is where the tree originally sprouted from, and asked for help to get it removed.

 

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