CASSELBERRY, Fla. — Greg Saluck and his 8-year-old son Damian arrived in Casselberry Wednesday night hoping to start a new life in Florida after Hurricane Harvey left them homeless.
Unfortunately, the pair may have driven from one hurricane to another, as Irma threatens to hit Florida in the next few days.
Regardless, Saluck said he was glad to be out of Houston.
"Relieved, stressed, nervous, scared," he said of how he was feeling Wednesday. "Too many emotions to process all at one time."
Amy Volbe and her husband have their hands full taking care of three young daughters, but when she heard Saluck's story through a mutual Facebook friend, her family made the decision to open their home to him and his son.
Damien and Saluck had been staying with friends in Houston after he lost his job with the Texas Health and Human Services Department due to an injured foot.
The friends they were staying with, though, lost their home in the hurricane.
The pair started their trip to Casselberry on Sunday, but it was complicated by emergency vehicle repairs and flat tires.
The Volpes knew they could help Saluck, a Marine Corps veteran, and Damien, and were glad they decided to.
"Our community helps everybody," Volbe said. "Our community helps people. That's what we do. It's what we're supposed to do."
Her husband Steve agreed.
"How can we sit there and say people need to help other people and then not do it ourselves?" he said.
Saluck and Damien's trip was made possible by donations to a GoFundMe page, but they weren't able to bring much with them, so the Casselberry, Oviedo and Winter Springs communities stepped up by donating clothing and gift cards.
Once Hurricane Irma has passed, Damien will start school and Saluck said he already had some leads on a new job.