Storm Evacuee Turns Fire Victim

Gustav Storm A Theodore man and his granddaughter seek shelter from the Gustav. While they are gone the house burns down.

by Tiffany Craig

Published: Tue, September 02, 2008 - 6:12 pm CST Last Updated: Tue, September 02, 2008 - 6:19 pm CST

A Theodore man and his granddaughter lost everything in a house fire after they evacuated for Gustav Sunday night.

A neighbor called 9-1-1 and reported the blaze but it was too late. By the time Jacky Long and Virginia Henson got there, everything was lost.

Jacky says all he has are the clothes on his back, a miniature Dale Jarrett racecar and his coin collection in a melted jar. They were staying at Theodore High School until they closed their doors on Tuesday. Now, they are sleeping at the Revelation Missionary Baptist Church in Mobile.

Long and his granddaughter had no insurance and need some help getting back on their feet. They are setting up a fund at the Regions Bank in Tillman's Corner on Wednesday. They are also in need of clothes.

Jacky Long
Shirt size M
Pant size 32/32

Virginia Henson
Shirt Size XL-2X
Pant Size 22-26 (depending on fit)

Long is one of those people who unplugs everything before a thunderstorm. He has no idea what caused the fire.

The chief of Theodore-Tillman's Corner Volunteer Fire department says it could be faulty wiring. The exact cause will never be known because the force of the wind left too much damage.

Neighbors didn't report any power flickers or outages around that time in Theodore.

WKRG.com » News Stream » Alabama

Video
Photo

Embed:

WKRG.com Related

News –› Alabama

News –› Theodore

Discuss this in the forum

Email to a Friend

Printer Friendly

Download Video

RNuts Says:

Wed, Sep 03, 2008 at 8:42 am

Insurance on that house would have been less than $100 a month. My Mother-in-law only makes $1300 a month on Social Security and she makes sure she scratches up enough money to pay her insurance.

I know it is too late. It makes me sad to see someone not taking care of themselves and their property.

It’s a choice. I have insurance on everything I own, including my wife, kids and myself. I have to make sacrifices to do this.

I hope that those who are taking chances by not being insured see this report and it makes them think about how they are one spark away from being homeless.