Bonita Springs flood victims live in shelter, despair

Despair has befallen the Bonita Springs flood victims, now living at the Estero Community Center shelter.

The 570 residents have been eating, sleeping and laundering their clothes at the American Red Cross shelter for 12 days and calling it home has become difficult to bear.

"We are treated very well. They give us food and water. We haven't lacked anything but it's not home," said Ricardo Zambrano, 48. Zambrano lives at the Manna Christian Village RV park. Most of the people in the shelter are residents of Manna Christian or a neighboring RV park, Saldivar.

He is staying at the shelter with his wife and three teenage children. All are anxious to go home.

"It's really affected us. We have a small car and only had time to get one luggage of clothes out," said Zambrano noting important documents are still in his trailer home. "It's been hard on my kids and we aren't sure why ... if it's the food or change but they are getting sick."

Stomach aches or the common cold are what Zambrano believes is sickening his children and others he's heard about at the shelter.

"We have been going to a Mexican restaurant to eat sometimes," said Zambrano, who works as a truck mechanic. His wife is unemployed.

When the Zambranos left their home there was six inches of water under their trailer. As of Friday, he tried twice to enter the Manna Christian park but officials wouldn't let him in.

"Three months ago I bought a plasma (TV) and a computer and now with more storms coming..." he said. "I just don't know."

Hope was already hanging by a thread among residents at the shelter and news of Hurricane Ike's possible assault on southwest Florida isn't helping the angst.

"They don't want us in (the trailer park) and I just need to know what's happening," said Juanna Urvalle, 54. She lives with her husband Jose, 65, at Manna Christian. "We need help. Help to at least get our documents or use a truck or something."

Urvalle, whose extended family also is at the shelter, said: "We aren't safe anymore because if another (storm) comes we have no other options. We don't have a future. We can't even think about it."

The future seems bleak for residents like Zambrano and Urvalle. They are legal residents who applied for Federal Emergency Management Agency aid and said it's the small glimmer of hope left.

"They didn't say when we would get anything. They have to send inspectors to our homes," said Zambrano, noting the water has to go down before inspectors can enter the park. "I need help because although we are here, we are spending money to eat Mexican food or pizza and for clothes."

The owners of the Manna Christian and Saldivar parks say they will credit renters for days they spent at the shelter.

Heidi Ruster, the Lee County American Red Cross director, has no date for shutting the shelter's doors.

"We want to make sure they have a place to go before we shut down," said Ruster who can't determine the number of shelter residents because not all those registered have stayed overnight.

The Lee County Division of Public Safety's Emergency Management Department meets regularly with the Red Cross, as the shelter is a Lee County facility.

"It's federal mandate that the Red Cross run the shelter and Emergency Management oversees it. It's a combination effort," said Diane Holm, spokesperson for the public safety division and emergency management department. "We are always in contact because they would report to us if they need more cots for example, and we get them there."

Volunteers support the two organizations and Holm's said more are needed, especially now.

"We need people to help in the shelter and spot some of the volunteers who have been working for 10 days," said Ruster. She said squabbles have taken place between volunteers and Red Cross staff members. "Stress levels get a little difficult when people work too many hours. We are limiting burn out ... many (volunteers) have a heart of gold and just want to go, go, go."

Moving is exactly what Zambrano has in mind after he returns to his trailer.

"I don't feel stable anymore. I have an offer now for a trailer in Rosemary but we don't have money to put down," Zambrano said. "We wonder what will happen in reality."