TAMPA, Fla. — Flooding can cause significant damage to any home, and during the recent hurricanes, there was a lot.

That’s why a local church and group of volunteers in Dade City are bringing people together to help those in need. 

At one Ridge Manor home, floodwaters swept through after the hurricanes ravaged the home, leaving it uninhabitable.

“Everything that is fabric or some kind of material substance is just going to make the mold spread like crazy,” Katie Pechon said. “It’s not what you can see, it’s what you can’t see.”

The preparation for this kind of work began on Friday. 

When entering a home that has suffered such significant damage, proper equipment is needed like respirators, gloves, and more. 

For Cindy Rogers, this type of volunteer work is important, as so many people in her community are suffering. 

“It’s a small thing, but if it were me and my family having lost everything, I’d hope somebody would help me,” she said. 

By Saturday morning, volunteers from across Florida arrived at St. Rita’s Catholic Church in Dade City. 

Father Carlos Jojas said volunteers will work on at least ten homes in the community. 

“We are expecting people from Miami, from Orlando, from Jacksonville, from throughout the Diocese of Saint Petersburg, from neighboring churches. It’s going to be a major project,” he said. 

Katie said this volunteer work isn’t easy, but with so many people in need, she said she wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

“You truly meet some of the most incredible human beings in the worst-case scenario,” she said. “They are truly grateful and for something so small. I’m not getting paid for this, but I can lay my head down at night and know that I’ve got lifelong friends out of the disaster.”