Hurricane Ian Heartbreak
This is a story about Hurricane Ian. That’s the bad news. The good news is the heartwarming story behind MorseMen4Mom. Here’s the scoop.
As Southwest Florida braced for Hurricane Ian, we initially expected Tampa to take a direct hit. For those of us in Tampa, we kind of believe the myth that Tampa Bay has magical powers to repel Hurricanes. The fact that Tampa hasn’t taken a direct hurricane hit from a major hurricane since the 1921 Tampa Bay Hurricane; only further propels the myth.
When Hurricane Ian made a turn towards Ft. Myers my husband’s family, who are long time Ft. Myers residents, were fortunate enough to never experience much damage from hurricanes over the years. Little did we know what we were truly in for.
Watching The Storm
As Hurricane Ian began to unfurl it’s fury battering the Ft. Myers area, I was so happy to know my mother and sister in law decided to evacuate to my niece’s house. My mother in law’s house is in a low lying area not too far from Ft. Myers Beach, Sanibel Island and Cape Coral.
There were some residents who did not evacuate and did live videos of what was going on. I shared this video with my TikTok community. None of us could believe what we were seeing. The water was literally coming down the street in waves and the wind had already done damage to the exterior of my husband’s family home.
The story behind Michael’s family home is such a heartwarming and wonderful one of Black Love, Black Family, family strength, family bonds, family love and resilience.
The History of The Morse Family Home
This is a picture of Michael’s parents, Howard and Christine Morse. Howard was a Shrimp Boat Captain.
Michael’s parents bought the land back in the Jim Crow South in an unincorporated part of Ft. Myers called Harlem Heights. Back then it was populated by a mixture of Black and Brown people ranging from African American, Native Americans and Hispanic Americans.
Building A House and Raising A Family
Howard paid to have the frame built and then he built the interior from the sheetrock to the floors. Over the years, every renovation the house has gone through, Howard and his 5 sons did them.
In that 3 bedroom, 1 bathroom home, Howard and Christine Morse raised 12 children, a bunch of grandchildren and even a great grand here and there.
The Family Gathering Place
For as long as I can remember, and I’ve been in the family almost 4 decades now, the Morse house was THAT house. You know the one in the neighborhood where everyone gathers. Friends, family, tag alongs, pretty much everyone was welcome at their house. I don’t know how but they always seemed to find the time, space and food to feed one more person.
Then Along Comes Ian
Hurricane Ian left the house in the state it was when Howard Morse initially had it built. The frame of the house survived the storm, but the inside was lost to the flooding. Gone are six decades of family memories, pictures, furniture everything about their past except their hearts, souls and spirits.
But Let Me Tell You About The Morse Men!
Of the 12 Morse children raised in their family home, there were 5 boys and 7 girls. Unfortunately, we lost the baby brother to a senseless gun tragedy in 2016. the following year, we lost the eldest brother to a sudden heart attack.
Then There Were Three
The three remaining brothers are determined to do what they’ve always done. Make repairs to the house. The damage from Hurricane Ian left the frame standing but everything inside was lost.
The Sad Truth About Florida Homeowner Insurance
Unfortunately, like many Floridians, while there is Homeowner’s Insurance with Hurricane Insurance, Flood Insurance is costly and not offered in all parts of Florida. Since the damage from Hurricane Ian was primarily from the flooding, all of the costs to repair the family home, will be out of pocket.
GoFundMe Morse Men 4 Mom
Here’s the link to the GoFundMe Fundraiser, Morse Men 4 Mom to help pay for the damage caused by Hurricane Ian.
Uneven Coverage And Support
There are many reasons we’re turning to fundraising for support. One of which is poorer communities like Harlem Heights, simply don’t get the support and attention more affluent communities receive.
As you can see from the picture above and this article, a week after the damage and destruction from Hurricane Ian occurred, Michael’s mom’s street was still flooded. That’s my mother in law’s house and that’s my brother in law, Howard, in the red shirt.
Morse Men 4 Mom
Thankfully, we are a strong and resilient family. The brothers have the skills, now we just need the resources to help their 88 year old mom, Christine can return to her home and spend the rest of her days there.
Please Share Our Story
Whether you contribute or not, please consider sharing this story with others who may be interested in donating.
We also invite you to follow our journey. I’ll be posting updates on my TikTok page, my Facebook page and here. I’ll also use the hashtag #mm4m to help track our progress.
Thank you to everyone who has reached out to check on us, to offer words of support and to those who have already donated. Your kindness is appreciated more than you’ll ever know!
Until next time,
Namaste,
Khadeeja
