FORT PIERCE, Fla. — A Fort Pierce woman is displaced and calling for help after a lightning strike tore through her home, leaving her with broken windows, heavy damage, and almost nothing left.
Last month, Rosa Rivera returned home from getting a haircut at church, a utility worker stopped her outside.
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"When I go back home, I see, the utility guy tells me, hey — I think your house is on fire," Rivera said.
St. Lucie County District Firefighters rushed to put out the flames. Rivera was told a lightning strike caused the fire.
Walking into her damaged home left her stunned. "I was in shock, I'm thinking that's just a dream, but no, it's reality," Rivera said.
Rivera lost clothes, furniture and irreplaceable personal belongings — including photos of her late son. "My son's pictures. My son passed away three years ago," Rivera said.
The damage left Rivera displaced. She is uninsured and is now staying at her nephew's home while she rebuilds. "I'm truly grateful for him," Rivera said."Because without him, I don't know where I would be.”
Rivera, who is also disabled, was recovering from neck fusion surgery the same week she lost her home. "It's a lot that I'm dealing with. It's very, very overwhelming," Rivera said.
A memorial outside the damaged home is one of the few things Rivera has left that cannot be replaced.
Despite everything, Rivera said she is holding onto one thing: gratitude that she was not inside when the fire broke out.
"It's a blessing that I was not home," Rivera said. "And I was in a safe place instead of being at home to where something could've possibly happened to me.”
A GoFundMe has been set up to help Rivera rebuild.
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