Rising from the Rubble

ByRural Neighborhoods

“It took three years to get back to a sense of normalcy,” Kirk recalled. “In essence, Hurricane Andrew rebirthed Everglades Community Association from a local, inexperienced neighborhood group into an innovative and experienced statewide group focusing on rural communities. On her first visit to the spot last month, an Andrew survivor marveled at the improvements. “I got flashbacks during Katrina,” Alma Martinez, 22, said. “I remembered being here in a trailer during Andrew when the walls were trembling and all of a sudden I could see the sky. But look at this now.”

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