LEESBURG, Fla. – People in several Leesburg communities are picking up the pieces after Hurricane Irma hit nearly a week ago. Now volunteers are helping residents get results and clean up their neighborhoods.
Up and down the streets of some Leesburg neighborhoods, the damage Hurricane Irma left behind is visible. Some houses have their roofs completely covered by tarps, while others have trees toppled on them.
"We have three neighborhoods that got hit pretty good: (the) Carver Heights area, Palmora Park and Beverly Shores. There's a few trees down and a lot of branches and limbs," Leesburg Mayor Bob Bone said.
But after the devastation comes salvation as dozens of volunteers worked to put this community back together Saturday morning.
"It's all about the people. Together we make a difference," one volunteer said.
Volunteers with West Leesburg CDC, United Way of Lake & Sumter Counties, and Leesburg Center for the Arts spent their Saturday morning in the heat. They raked leaves, collected debris and picked up branches to help the area's elderly residents.
"She's actually not home yet so she'll be glad when she gets back and sees that we've cleaned up the yard and she didn't have to get out to do it," Lueverne Montez with the West Leesburg CDC said.
They're also collecting debris on empty lots and doing their part to get results.
"I think it's created a bond between our neighbors, new friendships and it's been done in a way that you can really only do by doing service for someone else," Bone said.