Wilma victim describes destruction

A Floridian with local ties was shocked to learn her photo, above, was on The Blade's front page. Enlarge

Karen Zipperer White, of Davie, Fla., was surprised to learn that her picture was on the front page of The Blade yesterday.

An Associated Press photographer captured Ms. Zipperer White moving debris away from her mobile home on Monday after Hurricane Wilma damaged many homes in the neighborhood.

"I was shocked," Ms. Zipperer White said. "I saw somebody take a picture, but I figured it would be somewhere on the back pages of the Sun Sentinel or the Miami Herald" - two newspapers in south Florida.

Ms. Zipperer White said she got the news from her sister, Diana Zipperer, 40, of New Jersey, who learned it from her mother, Judith Pheatt, of 3432 Corey Rd., Sylvania Township.

Ms. Zipperer White, who called The Blade last night, then spoke about her Wilma experience. "Oh, God! It was just a total destruction," she said. "I live in a mobile home. Everywhere around me I saw roofs flying off people's homes, trees snapping just like twigs."

Her own house had the shutters peeled off, windows broken on one side, the living room flooded by rain and leaves, and the carport destroyed.

Later, Ms. Zipperer White's carport was lifted. She got her car out, but it was dented and scratched, though drivable. She said she has no insurance for the house and hoped that FEMA will help her.

Her hardships are far from over.

There was no electricity at her house and almost no flowing water - just a trickle. With many streets still impassible, it was hard to get around by car, she said.

From what she heard, the whole city was having the same problems. But there were signs that things would eventually get back to normal, with crews clearing debris from roads throughout the city.

"It's just pretty tough to deal with," she said. "I am just trying to make the best out of a very bad situation. You kind of have to keep your sense of humor and laugh, or you'll cry."