The Dade City Church is looking for volunteers and supplies to help with the cleanup effort in Milton

DADE CITY, Fla. – There’s a question even the strongest believers ask.

Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people?

In the house in Dade City where Tommy Fitch lives, most people would quickly ponder this question.

The soil is still wet. Furniture is in ruins. Walls and doors are covered in black mold.

“There’s a lot of mold everywhere,” Fitch said.

The home – and the foul smell of mold – will suffocate you in more ways than one.

“I’m a 46-year-old man and I cried for a few days when I saw this,” he said.

The house belongs to Fitch’s parents. He retired months ago, sold two houses in Cleveland and moved back in with his parents. He hoped to spend the rest of his life there and eventually pass the family home on to his 18-year-old son, who had also recently moved in.

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Then Hurricane Milton hit. Eight days later, the home and much of Dade City were flooded.

“It was just unreal,” Fitch remembers.

When nearby rivers reached their peaks due to Milton’s rain, it flooded much of the area, surprising families like the Fitches.

It destroyed their homes and their most valuable possessions.

In Fitch’s house, even the family Bible was soaked to the core.

“You know, my mother – she will cry one day and I will hug her. And my father is tough. It’s hard,” he said with tears in his eyes.

In such a situation it would be easy to question God, but Fitch never did.

In fact, he was in the middle of prayer when he received a joyful call. He received a call from Father Carlos Rojas, pastor of St. Rita Catholic Church in Dade City.

“God allowed this to happen,” Father Rojas said. “This has given us the opportunity to live out our faith and put it into action.”

But the local priest didn’t call Fitch to give a sermon. He called to offer help.

On Saturday, Rojas will lead a team of volunteers to begin cleaning up damage to 10 – perhaps 15 – homes across Dade City. Fitch’s house is on the list.

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“We have to go in and gut everything. Empty furniture, mattresses, appliances, clothing and toys. Everything goes out. And then you start getting the drywall, the carpeting and the flooring,” he said.

Right now, Rojas needs additional volunteers and donations of personal protective equipment such as masks, boots and coveralls.

If you would like to participate in the cleanup, you are asked to report to St. Rita Catholic Church on Saturday, November 23rd at 8 a.m. The church is located at 14404 14th St. in Dade City.

You can also donate to the church’s efforts at this link.

For Fitch, any help is an answered prayer – a reason to keep faith and hope for a better future.

“It is God. God took care of all of us,” he said. “It will be joyful.”