STUART, Fla. — A Treasure Coast man is working diligently to help the family of a fallen Florida Highway Patrol trooper after their home was impacted by Hurricane Ian.
More than two years after his death, the memory of Trooper Joseph Bullock is still strong. Bullock was killed along Interstate 95 in Martin County on Feb. 5, 2020.
Bullock's parents live in Englewood, Florida, and have a devastated home that has wind and flood damage and no power. They currently only have a working cellphone.
Tom Berry with the Blue Alert Foundation in Stuart quickly sprang into action, loading up a trailer with pallets of water and other supplies and is headed to the west coast of the state.
"I got the car. I can get a trailer," Berry said. "I found out that Sam's Club will sell me pallets, and that's what we’re doing."
He said he plans to deliver his supplies Friday morning.
"A few cases will go to the Bullock family and some wipes, but the rest of it will go as needed," Berry said.
John Bullock talked over the phone with WPTV and said he has extensive wind and storm damage and no power at his home, which is located just north of Fort Myers.
"We're doing OK, and we have the basics that we need thanks to people like Tom Berry," John Bullock said.
Berry said he'll never forget the fallen trooper's sacrifice, which is why he is loading up the trailer.
He hopes this isn't his only trip to the west coast. His Blue Alert Foundation is taking donations and he hopes to bring more supplies over again soon.
"We talked about how the house survived, and they think that Joe had something to with the house not being completely torn apart," Berry said.
