Lincoln School paraprofessional, Mary Clark, organizes a collection drive to help Hurricane Harvey victims. (Reporter photo by Jennifer Sommer)

MENDOTA – Thirteen years ago, Mary Clark and her family were bracing for Hurricane Ivan. They evacuated their waterfront home in Pensacola, Fla. and waited out the storm at her grandmother’s house further inland.

Hurricane Ivan reached Category 5 strength and caused widespread damage in the Caribbean and United States. It created more tornadoes than any other hurricane in the Atlantic and was one of the most intense Atlantic hurricanes ever recorded.

In the end, Ivan caused an estimated $18 billion in damages, making it one of the costliest hurricanes to hit the United States.

Clark told of her experience. “When you pull up to your street and it is unrecognizable, that’s when it hits,” she said.

Clark’s house withstood the storm, but water filled the entire first floor of their two-story home. Ranch-style neighboring homes were not as fortunate.

“When it happens, you lose clarity. Everything is fuzzy. Your home was just flooded and now your mind is, too. You look to your parents for guidance but they are just as lost. They look to city officials who are going through the same emotions,” she said.

Clark recalled what it felt like to experience Hurricane Ivan in a letter. She wrote, “Somehow you get by. Inch by inch, you make your way through the haze and the rubbish and eventually life will again become some sort of normal. Well, the new normal, not what normal used to be. Things slow down; you develop a routine and you finally are able to move back into what will, in time become home.

However, the previous eight months of displacement are practically erased from your memory because of the hazy chaotic fog that came with it all. You may have a memory here and there of boats on the roof of your neighbor’s flattened home, or your piano on the roof of a home that is two miles across the bayou. Perhaps you even remember finding your favorite shirt stuck between the boat and your neighbor’s roof, and saw a neighbor’s couch in your swimming pool with fish swimming around it.

Those are just brief clips though, like a gag reel at the end of a movie. Everything else is out of order and doesn’t make much sense. That’s what it is like to lose your home in a hurricane.”

Eight months after Ivan struck, Clark and her family were able to return to their restored house. Another four months later, Katrina was heading for Pensacola, before it turned toward New Orleans. “The thought that this could happen again was overwhelming,” she said.

Lack of control before, during, and even after a storm is very scary, she stated. But with a lot of family support, she learned to move on.

Clark moved to Mendota in January of this year, but as hurricane season came with vengeance, she was reminded of the hurricane that impacted her life so much. “My family’s home looked the same as the pictures from Irma,” she noted.

Her family, still in Pensacola, survived Hurricane Irma unscathed. However, many other Floridians, particularly those in the Florida Keys, were not as fortunate.

And still, let us not forget Hurricane Harvey that devastated Texas the end of last month. “Harvey and Irma were examples that no matter how much you prepare, sometimes these storms are strong enough that none of that matters,” said Clark.

Since the storms, Clark decided she wanted to help. Now a paraprofessional at Lincoln School, she brought the idea to collect supplies for hurricane victims to Vicki Johnson, principal. Even though Hurricane Irma just happened, Clark wanted to gather supplies for Hurricane Harvey victims. “Especially now, I think Irma is going to get all of the attention, and I don’t want people to forget about Harvey, because they need it just as bad,” she said.

A letter was sent home with the 2^nd through 4^th graders requesting items - everything from school supplies such as crayons, paper, rulers and pencils, to hygiene items like toothpaste, deodorant, soap, and shampoo.

Sure enough, the students began bringing the items to school for the collection boxes. In the end, over 10 boxes of supplies were filled and almost $200 donated that will be put onto gift cards. Prescott Brothers of Mendota has volunteered to pay for all of the shipping costs.

The supplies will reach Julie Kreiling Zinke, a Texas teacher and former high school friend of Johnson, who will disburse the supplies to schools in her area that are in need.

Clark said she has been touched at the students’ curiosity, questions, and generosity. “Some of the kids that have donated backpacks have put some of their own toys inside. That is really touching and sweet to see from these young ones. It is great to see people who have never experienced a hurricane, have a soft spot and want to help,” she said.

Johnson said that she does not think the students fully understand the extent of what damage a hurricane can cause. “Until you experience it, I don’t think you will ever know,” she added.