Astor residents struggle to get by in the wake of Hurricane Irma

ASTOR, Fla. — For the 1,500 residents of Astor in Lake County, the days following Hurricane Irma have been a constant struggle.

Much of the city was already underwater when the St. Johns River overflowed its banks due to Irma, and most of the residents continued to be without power Thursday.

Basic supplies were also scarce days after the storm, even after the county handed out more than 300 cases of water Thursday.

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Resident Fred Altice said it has been a difficult few days getting by without power or running water.

“It means everything,” he said. “If you don’t have water and no way to keep your house cool, it’s miserable.”

Residents said the community had pulled together in the wake of the storm by carpooling to share and save gas, and setting up points to give out water and providing charging stations for electronics.

It may still be a while before the flood waters recede and services are completely restored, but residents were sticking together.

Despite that, resident Robin Richardson said she would be glad to see the last signs of Hurricane Irma flow away.

The kind of damage caused by Irma is something he had not seen before and never wanted to go through again.

“Never,” she said. “Never in my life and I don’t want to again.”

Cox Media Group