70-year-old veteran's RV home destroyed by Hurricane Debby
COCOA, Fla. - A 70-year-old veteran is returning home to collect his belongings after Hurricane Debby flipped over his RV three weeks ago. Initially, one person was reported to be taken to the hospital, but the storm's aftermath was only the beginning of Bryant Culpepper's struggles.
"It's pretty amazing I survived it because everything in the RV, including the fridge, was tossed around like toys, and I was in the middle of it," said Culpepper, reflecting on the harrowing experience. He was inside his RV in Cocoa when the strong winds from Hurricane Debby lifted his home off the ground and slammed it back down.
"The wind picked up the RV, spun it, and then slammed it to the ground," he said. "Everything in the RV went topsy-turvy, and it scared me quite a bit."
Culpepper was taken to the hospital and treated for several spinal fractures. After being discharged, he faced the prospect of homelessness, with nowhere to go. However, his situation took a positive turn when strangers, Anna and Tyler Dahl, stepped in to help.
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"We told him we were going to do everything we could to help, and he wasn't going to be facing the streets," said Anna Dahl, who, along with her husband, runs a community outreach program in Brevard called "Our Friends and Neighbors."
The Dahls rallied the community, leading to an outpouring of support and donations to help Culpepper get back on his feet. "Everything that I own was ruined," Culpepper said, expressing his gratitude for the community's kindness.
Asked if he had ever seen such overwhelming support, Culpepper responded, "No, what these two have done is just amazing. It's like a savior. Somebody came and helped."
The Dahls emphasized that Culpepper's situation could happen to anyone. "It can really happen to anybody. It could be any of us," Tyler Dahl said.
Culpepper is currently recovering at an assisted care facility and hopes to find new housing soon, with the support of his new friends for life.
