Catholic Charities helps couple after Hurricane Ian

James and Phyllis Masteller weathered many hurricanes in their more than 80 years of life, but none like Hurricane Ian. Remembering the catastrophic event, she and James still marvel at how they made it through. The neighborhood was in shambles. Boats in yards, cars underwater, ravaged homes knocked out of place. The couple traveled to Orlando in January 2023 and struggled to find FEMA-authorized hotels and proper payment. Desperate they would not meet their rent due that week, they walked nearby to St. Joseph Parish to ask for help.

Upon arriving, they accidentally walked into the temporary Catholic Charities of Central Florida office instead of the parish office. Catholic Charities helped them work out their issues with FEMA using photos Phyllis provided of their destroyed home. “Without Catholic Charities we would probably be on the street,” James said.