FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – It's been a scary time for a Fort Lauderdale woman whose home was severely damaged during Tuesday's storms when a tree fell on the roof.
Iris Walker, who lives alone at the home, said people's kindness has lifted her spirits and improved her outlook on the future.
"I have a hole in my roof and rain damage, mold mildew -- all those things will come into play if it continues to rain," Walker said.
Walker was back at her home before sunrise Wednesday, trying to figure out what to do next after the large tree fell on her house.
With help from the Red Cross, Walker spent the night in a hotel after she was forced out of the home she's lived in for the past 21 years.
By late morning, Walker's needs were heard and answered by strangers.
"I saw the news and I said, 'Let me see what I could do as a community person and as a pastor,'" Pernell Harden, who is helping with the cleanup, said. "Sometimes we just need to just reach out beyond our doors to help out, so it was on my heart to go and do it."
Harden borrowed a friend's chainsaw and came to help.
"I'm looking at God's handy work, because he uses people to be an example for others to follow," Harden said.
Walker said she was in her home when lightning struck the tree on the property next to hers. She said she heard a big boom and watched the roof fall in.
A lot still needs to be cleaned up inside and outside of Walker’s home, but she's feeling optimistic now.
"That's what I'm seeing now -- God healing people," she said.
Walker has property insurance and was not injured when the roof collapsed.
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