Plant City duck braves Hurricane Irma, gains stardom
While Florida experienced one of the largest mass evacuations in the state’s history, one fervent fowl refused to abandon her unhatched chicks.
The courageous female, formerly known as “Mama Duck,” was given the name of her ominous foe, Irma, by Joy Anne Trent, the woman upon whom’s property she had built her nest. Irma is one of four Muscovy ducks that reside on Trent’s property, though the others tucked tail and flew to safety at the first sight of a sinister sky.
Trent noticed Irma had not “evacuated” with her friends, choosing instead to not leave her 13 eggs.
Trent was terrified. She and her boyfriend debated over how to save both the mother and her unhatched ducklings. They considered bringing all 13 eggs inside and plotted how to capture the mother without causing her to panic, before begrudgingly accepting the safest option was to let her weather the storm alone.
The tree under which the duck was perched was visible from Trent’s bathroom window and she spent much of the night peering at Irma’s small form in the darkness. When the sun rose the next morning Trent ran outside, feeling sick to her stomach, to see how her beloved companion had faired through the hurricane.
“We expected her to be gone or the nest to be smashed and there was this whole pile of debris from the live oak, just loads of branches,” Trent said. “I was pulling the branches off and I begin to hear a chirping sound, I pull the branches and the moss off and there she was. She was fine and the nest was OK.”
Trent gave her food and water throughout the rest of the day and she slowly recovered. On Tuesday she finally accepted the threat was over and began to return to her normal routine. Trent snapped a picture of her stretching prior to returning for the first time to the pond for a quick dip.
After Trent posted the image on Facebook, Irma went viral. The image was shared over 62,000 times and received over 139,000 likes. The overwhelming response took Trent by surprise and her friend created a Facebook page just for the heartening duck. When the eggs hatch, Trent plans to place their pictures on the site and leave this stressful, though inspiring experience behind her.
Kiwanis Club spelling bee rescheduled
The fifth annual Plant City Kiwanis Club Spelling Bee has been rescheduled due to Hurricane Irma.
“We’re still looking forward to having it and will let the public know as soon as we solidify a date,” event organizer David Wolf said.
FEMA relief available
The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Individuals and Households Programs is offering financial aid and direct services for those who have serious need following Hurricane Irma. There is up to $33,000 available in financial help, though some forms of IHP aid are limited.
Temporary housing in the form of money to rent a different home or a temporary housing unit are available as well as money for repair for homeowners. Funds to replace a disaster and damaged home and aid for construction, under specific regulations, are also offered. FEMA’s IHP aid covers miscellaneous assistance like fuel, medical expenses, moving and storage expenses related to the hurricane and other aid.
Call 1-800-621-FEMA to learn more.