When it comes down to Helene vs. Leelanau, our county is coming through.
That’s the belief held by Jenny Herman, who thought she had lost her mother and brother in epic floods caused by the deadly hurricane. Jenny fretted for two days after the last phone call she had with her brother M.J. Romo, who was helping evacuate a neighbor’s house before the rising water of Mill River in Henderson County, North Carolina left visible only its roof.
Two long days. “The rain came down quick,” said Herman, the senior planner for the Leelanau County Planning Department. “And then we lost communication, and I was thinking the worst. I was calling all of them every five, 10 minutes, waiting for something to go through.”
Finally a call did go through on the morning of Sunday, Sept. 29. Jenny’s mother, Melinda Romo, was on the other line. She said her boyfriend, Ernesto Martinez, and Jenny’s brother were alive.
“She said we’re all OK, but everything is gone.”
Since then, life has been a case of subsistence for the Romo family. Their home, though standing, is uninhabitable after water encircled two-thirds of the structure.
“They were surviving off tuna and peanut butter. Then the gas stations and the grocery stores started opening, but it was cash only. No credit cards were accepted. When I was finally able to talk to my mom she said they lost everything, just her tone of voice made me cry,” Herman said.
The Romos built a following in Leelanau County after establishing roots as migrant workers for the Bardenhagen family. “We lived in southern Texas and came up here for better opportunities,” Herman recounted.
A similar search for a better life sent M,J. Romo to North Carolina after his sister paid his tuition to attend welding school. While M.J. was employed, his mother joined him near Hendersonville. They were all living in the home of Melinda’s boyfriend Ernesto Martinez — while that home was habitable.
For all the negatives associated with social media, it’s been a godsend for the Romo family in spreading word that help is needed. Herman turned to Facebook to explain her family’s delimma, and donations big, small and green started pouring in. A GoFundMe account has been active.
But the big donation came from Josephine Lingaur, juvenile register for 13th Circuit Court, family division. Lingaur gave the Romo family a 30-foot travel trailer that they plan to reside in for about two years while their flood-wrecked home undergoes extensive repairs.
“I was starting to think that maybe I could find a camper for them, so I started looking on Facebook marketplace. And then (Josephine) reached out and offered to donate the trailer. They just gave it to me. It’s already furnished with beds and bedding, a fridge, a bathroom to shower. I face-timed my mom, and she instantly started bawling,” Herman said.
She’s grateful for the altruistic response.
“When word got out, everyone asked, ‘How can I help, what can I buy? We’ve received monetary donations, food donations, clothing and everyday essentials. People have been donating stuff from their gardens that they canned,” she added.
Starting early Sunday, Herman will begin the 15-hour drive in her Toyota Rav4 vehicle to reunite with her brother and mother. A friend will accompany her in his vehicle, pulling the trailer/home packed with donations needed for a fresh start on life.
They’ll have to take a longer route through Charlotte because an expressway was washed out that would normally allow travel through Tennessee and Kentucky and on to Henderson County. A safe journey will ensure the Romos have a place to sleep Sunday night as their insurance only provides funds for a hotel through that morning.
“After that, they would have to sleep in a vehicle,” Herman said.
Jenny’s husband, Jake, will stay behind to care for their two pets.
“We’re so grateful for everything we’ve received so far,” she
said.
