Polk Co. woman celebrates 100th birthday without a home

Published:
Photo via WTSP/Ledger

BARTOW, Fla. (WTSP) Today is 100-year-old Adele Durrance’s 100th birthday.

She is spending it without a home.

That’s because when Hurricane Irma moved through Polk County, it ripped two old oak trees out of the ground that would land on her roof, according to the Ledger. Her home was in ruins.

For now, Adele is taking shelter with 93-year-old Betty Shepard, with whom she plays Bridge ever week.

Adele continues to drive over to her house to work in the yard, but she can’t move in. While the city has deemed the home unsafe to live in, it’s not been condemned.

The city is giving residents time to figure out what to do, but for a home built in 1953, rebuilding is something Adele doesn’t want to do.

“If they are going to tear the house down,” Adele told the Ledger, “at 100 years old, there’s no point in me rebuilding this big house. I have a lot of memories here, and this house has meant a lot to the family. We have all our family celebrations here and this is the place all the children come home to.”

10News reporter Shannon Valladolid is following this story. Watch for her report coming up on 10News beginning at 5:30pm.

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