Florence victim relocates to Asheboro
Sykes owns a mobile home in
As Florence sat off the coast of
She had evacuated to
Taylor, an
It was a long-distance relationship until last fall.
"He would come down for a week," Sykes said. "I was self-employed with a cleaning business and was stuck to my job. My first time in
Sykes said evacuation requires much planning, including taking photos of each of her home's rooms for insurance purposes -- the "before" pictures. "Then you have to decide what to take with you."
Her pet cat, who has formed a tight bond with Sykes, had to come with her, even though she knew that shelters that accepted pets would keep them in cages. For that reason, she avoided shelters.
"Some shelters were flooded or damaged and the people had to be moved somewhere else," she said. "
When Sykes was able to return to
Her own home had siding loosened by the winds and a door removed. But the most damage came from water causing the ceiling to droop in spots.
She said a neighbor that stayed during the storm took photos of her house. "The entire front yard was completely flooded," she said. "There are still drainage problems with over double the rain for a year, more than 100 inches."
Sykes found that the "mold growth was phenomenal and I couldn't breathe. Even the mold inhibitors they used were really affecting me. I decided on
Taylor said the damage was more from flooding than wind, and that with "the mold and exposure, there's no work down there."
Getting back to
For now, Sykes said, her son is renting out her mobile home and overseeing work that needs to be done to it. "They were supposed to replace my roof today after eight months. Construction companies are backlogged."
She said her home is paid for and the rent is paying her bills for now. "But I need to look for work here. I'll probably sell my house (in
So sure is she that she'll stick around that Sykes has joined the
Playing in a concert band requires concentration and effort, Sykes said, but it helps relieve the stress of dealing with disaster.
"I've had enough of hurricanes," she said. "I don't want to do that again."
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