Jacksonville firefighter's home devastated by flooding during Hurricane Irma

Many firefighters who risked their lives during Hurricane Irma lost everything as they were helping others. Several Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department firefighters had homes damaged by wind, storm surge and flooding.

A local rookie firefighter who has been on the force for about eight months had six inches of water throughout her home. Dani McMillon told us many sentimental items rest on the curb, waiting to be thrown out after they were saturated by sewage and stormwater.

“It’s just really hard to know that the few things that we were going to give our girls, I don’t have that anymore,” McMillon said.

The first room right off the main door was known as the “laughter” room. McMillon explained her two daughters loved playing and doing family activities in that area.

“This is where we practiced our gymnastics and where the girls wanted to do yoga with me,” McMillon said.

Her girls’ room is now as bare as the carpet, their clothes and toys have all been disposed of. They have several large fans blowing at full force to dry out the now-exposed walls.

McMillon was with her firefighting crew during Irma, responding to trauma alerts while her home was taking on water.

“It was just heartbreaking, because I knew at that point it was bad. As we opened the front door, the water was just gushing out,” McMillon said.

Soon after, mold already set in, leaving behind a trail. The home has been in the family for generations, so many memories have happened within these walls, but this house doesn’t resemble a home anymore.

Every room is empty.

“I just feel pain and hurt every time I step this way now. This was my world – and then, in one day, it was shattered. It’s just really hard to try and figure out how to put those pieces back together,” McMillon said.

This mother is getting through this emotional battle with the support of her JFRD family.

“I was just overwhelmed by the sense of family, because you hear about it all the time -- you get a second family,” McMillon said.

Through this overwhelming support, she’s teaching her girls the lesson to never give up.

“I want to be a strong woman for them. I want them to know they can do anything that they want to,” McMillon said.

McMillon’s JFRD family has helped her find temporary housing.

A few years ago, her dream of becoming a firefighter was almost destroyed when she was bedridden by Lyme disease. It’s taken two years to get the pain under control. She told us she’s elated to be a part of this tight-knit industry. McMillon does have flare-ups with pain, but she said she’s able to override it knowing she’s helping people who are in need.

Cox Media Group