PORT ORANGE, Fla. – A Volusia County World War II veteran will get to spend Christmas finally back inside his own home.
Danny Levenson’s home was flooded during Hurricane Ian, but on Friday, the community welcomed him back after another resident fixed it back up.
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Levenson was unable to live in his home for the last three months.
“I can’t get over this! It’s going to be awhile before I quiet down,” he said.
Dozens of Volusia residents gathered outside the house as a Port Orange police cruiser pulled up with Levenson inside.
The 96-year-old World War II, Korean war, and Vietnam veteran got to see his house that’s been rebuilt after it was torn apart in the hurricane.
“I’m so lucky because all there were left that was usable was a roof, hardly, and studs. And they rebuilt my house,” he said.
The home in the Summer Trees subdivision of Port Orange was one of dozens that flooded. Levenson said he was stuck inside the house until the National Guard was able to rescue him.
“My feet were ankle deep in water for two days,” he said.
Now, those thoughts are behind him thanks to local contractor Steve Parker.
“It really is good to get Danny home,” Parker said.
Parker stepped up and rebuilt the home, spending thousands of his own dollars. He said he knew most of the senior citizens in the neighborhood didn’t have flood insurance or the funds to fix their homes themselves, so he fixed a half dozen homes in the neighborhood.
“No one else wanted to do it. We had a lot of damage where I live, but these people were in a lot worse shape,” he said. ”Luckily, we still had a house to go to. A lot of these people couldn’t go to their own homes.”
Levenson has spent the last three months at a friend’s house. Now, he gets to spend the holidays at home in his own bed.
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