Volusia County residents, still reeling from Hurricane Matthew, now brace for Irma

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — Jay Jerisek was putting the finishing touches on his Port Orange home Wednesday as he prepared to face whatever damage Hurricane Irma may cause when it makes landfall.

For Jerisek and numerous other area residents, last year’s Hurricane Matthew is still a fresh memory.

“This looked like a war zone when I got home,” he said of the damage caused by Matthew. “And they say this one is going to be worse, so I have no intention of living in a war zone.”

Matthew destroyed many of the homes in Jerisek’s manufactured home community when the hurricane hit in October.

Jerisek only lost the roof off his home, but his neighbors were not as lucky.

“Those two neighbors to that side were totally destroyed,” he said. “And the neighbor across the street, their places were totally destroyed as well.”

Jerisek said he did not stay in the area for Hurricane Matthew and didn’t plan to stay if Irma hits his area.

Making the decision to leave behind his home, family photos and keepsakes, was never an easy one, Jerisek said.

“But it is what it is,” he said. "I have to leave it … I can’t take it all with me.”

Cox Media Group