That's why it's called 'community'

This, that, and the other thing, Helene aftermath version:

— Citrus County relief organizations and citizens have sprung to life in Crystal River, Homosassa, and Ozello to bring much-needed ice, meals, water, tarps, and cleaning supplies to anyone who needs it.

I spent some time Tuesday morning at Daystar Life Center in Crystal River where it’s a steady stream of beleaguered hurricane survivors looking for assistance.

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Director AnnMarie Briercheck said the response is worse than Hurricane Hermine, worse than “no-name,” worse than anything she’s seen.

“The saddest cases are those people who have never had water in their house, and this storm brought water into their house,” she said.

Helene’s storm surge brought a foot or more of water into homes that had survived prior storms fairly intact.

The push is on now to help. The Red Cross, United Way of Citrus County, Daystar, Chamber of Commerce, Citrus County Schools, local governments, businesses, outside food trucks, and citizens are making that happen.

Daystar is seeking donations of cleaning supplies, buckets, bleach, and mops. Daystar is at 6751 W. Gulf to Lake Hwy, across from Publix and just east of C.R. 486.

“People are asking for rags and anything that you can use to clean your house,” AnnMarie said. “They’re in desperate need.”

A few other items to note:

– The Citrus County Chamber of Commerce Business Appreciation Month mixer is 5 p.m. Thursday at Tampa General-Crystal River. The chamber asks attendees to bring gift cards purchased from local restaurants impacted by the hurricane, and those gift cards will be donated to residents in need. 
– Let’s Feed Citrus will be at the Christian Center Church in Homosassa for hurricane relief at 9 a.m. Wednesday.
– Hot meals are available Wednesday: Noon at the Homosassa Civic Club; 12:30 p.m. at the Ozello Fire Station.
– The county has temporarily suspended building permit fees for repairs necessitated by the hurricane.
–Lowman Law Firm, in partnership with JP Catering, is providing free lunch Friday at its Crystal River office, 600 SE US Hwy 19, for emergency responders and anyone affected by Hurricane Helene.

— Photos on the county’s Facebook page show significant destruction at Fort Island Gulf Beach, including the boat ramp. The Roger Batchelor fishing pier was all but destroyed.

Boy, that’s tough to see. Our little beach holds a special place in the hearts of Citrus Countians, and I remember when the pier was dedicated to the late Commissioner Roger Batchelor.

Some folks may wonder whether the beach and pier have seen their final days after being pummeled by yet another hurricane. I certainly hope not. We’ll keep an eye on this.

— No word yet from the county or Crystal River about debris pickup, though I’ve got to believe that’ll start by the end of this week. 

Two things post-storm that’ll drive people nuts: Lengthy power outages and rotting debris at the curb sitting there for days in the hot sun.

The government can’t do anything about the power grid, but debris pickup is their deal. I’m confident both the county and city will make this a priority. If not, they’ll hear about it.

— Finally, a word about something mentioned in Tuesday’s blog. I wrote that a candidate had parked his truck near a hurricane relief site so that victims and volunteers could see his campaign sign. I said that wasn’t too smart.

I didn’t identify him, but it was John Cino, candidate for Mosquito Control Board. John emailed me Tuesday to say that he had a trailer parked there with the business owner’s permission and had arrived on Saturday to move it as food, water, and supplies were being handed out.

“I was not there to campaign and did not do so,” he wrote. “Dozens of people there can confirm that. I was there to move my trailer, which had been there for months. I cannot remove the sign from the bed of my truck.”

He added: “That being said, once I decided to stay to help out, I should have moved it immediately.”

I appreciate John’s explanation, and it certainly makes sense. I reminded him in our email conversation, however, about the optics of a campaign sign in the bed of a pickup truck where hurricane victims are gathered for water, a hot meal, and tarps.

— Unrelated to Helene, the Chronicle’s candidate forum for Inverness City Council is 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Valerie Theater. Yes, Inverness has politics too. 

That’s it for today. Enjoy it, friends.

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