A Beach Bum's View by Gary Becker Treasure Island Florida

Gulf Beach News

Hurricane Relief

On a day of pride and shame, a group of Treasure Island residents reached out with a helping hand to the victims of Hurricane Charley while city leaders sat on their hands.

The pride of Treasure Island, it’s residents, organized and funded a group of your neighbors who traveled to Punta Gorda to provide a hot meal and a cold drink to nearly 2,000 survivors of Hurricane Charley.

Despite no support from City Hall, local businessman Rick Taylor and a small group of volunteers spearheaded the relief effort which originated at Ricky T’s on Treasure Island. Financial contributions were used to buy food, drink, ice and other basic necessities which filled several large flatbed trailers, box trailers and pickup trucks.

A caravan of about 10 vehicles including a bus full of volunteers, headed south on Sunday morning with final destination being the Sacred Heart Church in Punta Gorda. An hour and a half later, the caravan of neighbors helping neighbors arrived at the interstate exit for Punta Gorda. Though Treasure Island City Officials refused to lend a hand, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office provided a Deputy to escort the relief workers from the interstate to Sacred Heart Church where your neighbors literally jumped out of the vehicles and began setting up a tent city of mercy. Within a short time of arrival, Treasure Island's finest residents were helping our storm ravaged neighbors to the south.

Cold drinks were handed out to church members as they left the stifling heat of morning services. Grills were fired up to cook hot meals and the basics such as toilet paper, soap and diapers were handed out to the hurricane victims. As soon as the chicken, hamburgers and hot dogs began coming off the grills, the tired survivors of Charley began lining up for their first hot meal and cold drink in days. Cases of water, bags and coolers of ice, trash bags, bleach and more were gratefully received by the storm’s victims from the people of Treasure Island.

“God bless you” and “Thank you for coming” were heard over and over again as nearly 2,000 storm victims were lent a hand up from your neighbors. One elderly couple asked if they could take home a couple of meals to their 80 year old neighbors who were afraid to leave their home and had not eaten in two days. They were given two super sized meals to go.

Another elderly survivor asked a volunteer if he had ever seen an angel. The volunteer answered no he had not. The elderly gentleman then said to the volunteer, “When you get up in the morning look in the mirror and you’ll see an angel.”

Throughout the hot afternoon the survivors accepted the volunteer's charity, enjoying a hot meal and cold drink in the parking lot of the storm scarred church. By late afternoon both the food supplies and the volunteers were exhausted, it was time to break down the tent city and head back to Treasure Island. All of the overheated and exhausted volunteers were grateful that they were heading to a home with air conditioning and a hot shower unlike the thousands of Punta Gorda residents they had met that day. All the volunteers realized it could have been them standing in line for a hot meal and cold drink in parking lot of a storm ravaged building.

On a day of shame, Treasure Island residents offered a helping hand while Treasure Island’s Mayor, Commission, City Manager and the rest of City Hall sat on their hands. While one of Treasure Island's largest and most successful charity events was taking place, only a former Commissioner was in attendance. No one currently involved in Treasure Island’s City government was to be seen or heard from.

Last week Treasure Island resident Bill Bennington stood before the Commission to announce the upcoming relief effort. Before Bill could finish what he had to say Treasure Island Fire Chief Charlie Fant began to chastise Bill for even talking about going to the hurricane stricken area. Charlie told Bill that supplies and people going to Punta Gorda would only add to the problem and that if anyone really wanted to help the hurricane victims, they should write a check and stay on the couch. The Mayor seconded Charlie’s remarks and dismissed Bill.

Sorry Charlie, we didn’t listen and that 80 year old couple hiding in their home without food for days is glad we didn’t. When a house is on fire, does our Fire Department send a check or do they respond and try to put out the fire. From Charlie’s attitude, I’m not so sure.

As for the Mayor? Well what can the citizens expect from the leader of a do nothing Commission which all have learned to expect less and less from.

Treasure Island has two things to be thankful for. One, the storm missed us. Second, even with weak leadership, Treasure Island has the strength of it’s average citizen to keep this a great place to live.

Sorry Charley and you too Charlie