WINDERMERE
Observer YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
FREE
VOLUME 2, NO. 50
•
For Dr. Phillips High, family comes first. 11.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2017
Turn for the worse
A late turn in its path pushed Hurricane Irma closer to West Orange County Sept. 10 and 11. The damage was widespread and extensive, but the storm also brought out the best in people. BY THE OBSERVER STAFF
A
rmed with two chainsaws, a pole saw and, of course, one machete, five Independence residents made sure their fellow neighbors were able to get in and out of their neighborhood just hours after Hurricane Irma tore through the community. After seeing downed trees blocking three of the community’s main thoroughfares, Christopher Lyon, Shannon Denham, Jane and Paul Reynolds and Alejandro Diaz armed themselves with the necessary tools to clear the paths. “(It was) tough work, but these people just showed up, and we took care of it,” Lyon said. “It was an awesome display of what this community is all about.” Residents in other communities throughout Horizon West displayed similar neighborly behavior — assisting one another with clean-up efforts to scrape away the evidence of perhaps the area’s longest, most-sleepless night. SEE PAGE 4
Courtesy photo
Amy Quesinberry
The old water tank at the former South Lake Apopka Citrus Growers Association, on Tildenville School Road, came crashing down during Hurricane Irma. PRSRT STD ECRWSS US POSTAGE PAID WINTER GARDEN, FL PERMIT NO. 81
*****************ECRWSSEDDM****
Postal Customer
SEE PAGES 4-6
Michael Eng
The roadway in front of Independence Elementary was blocked by this fallen tree until residents came to clear it.