Letter from Delia Curry to Governor David Sholtz Regarding Storm Damage, 1935

Hurricane damage

Natural disasters

Hurricanes

Floods

A letter from Delia Curry to Governor David Sholtz regarding damage to the roof of her family's home following a storm. Curry writes the Red Cross sent a caseworker to investigate, but the man has insisted their home is undamaged and will not help.

Curry, Delia

State Archives of Florida, Series s278

1935-10-14

letters (correspondence)

eng-US

text

s278_b027_f11_010

Depression Era Florida (1926-1939)

Tampa (Fla.)

Hillsborough County (Fla.)

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Health and Safety

Florida. Governor (1933-1937 : Sholtz)

American Red Cross

October 30th 1935
Mrs Nelia Curry
8306 N Blvd
Tampa
Florida

Dear Madam:
Your letter of October 14th has been received and I have carefully noted what you have to say. I would suggest that you take the matter referred to up with your local chapter of The Red Cross. There are of course no state funds to take care of matters of this kind.
Will all good wishes,
Yours very truly,
Governor.

DS/Nj

Tampa Fla
Oct 14 1935
Governor Sholtz
Dear Sir
I will now drop you a few lines today I dont expect it will do any good but Here goes anyway. When the Storm blew so bad our roof was. Damaged. part was blown off the rest was losened [sic] on the nails raised until the water Just pours in we made an apeal [sic] to the red cross. The caseworker came and measured the house but nothing was done so I went to the red cross taking a letter that our family Dr. wrote for me. telling them about

sickness in our home my Husbands mother is old and has been sick evry since the storm. I am a sufferer with the asthma and this wet house is making us worse. We can hardly cook on our stove. The red cross sent some men out here to fix the house. The man told us women your dam house Dont need a roof. and that I lied when I said it did. We can prove the storm Damaged our roof. It wasent that way before the Storm they put the roof on one side of our house. none on the rest of it and when it rains it just pours in. it was in the papers

we understand that you said the people must have aid that had their homes Damaged in the Storm. we thought the money was given to the red cross to help the people there is to houses in my neighborhood that the red cross covered all But the Porches (one woman told at my house last Sunday the Storm never Done nothing to her house but She sure got a new roof out of the red cross. we are poor folks. cant hardly live and no money to by roofing with it looks like the one that dont need always get the most and the Needy ones nothing. we hope you are a man with a heart. and

will Do Something for us in this trouble I have wrote to the county Commissioners but they wont Do nothing for us. When times were good we always helped the red cross now when we are in need why could they not help us I ask them for roofing, that my Husband could put it on They told me some people they had found out sold the roofing the lord knows we need it to Bad to sell it if they had let me have it we are no floaters are Tampa people It looks like some times that there is nobody with hearts any more Just gissards in place of hearts we are eligible for WPA work also regestered [sic] with the National reemployment service at Tampa own our home and are voters have been

so for years I expect this will find the waste Basket or if ans. will be in this way. cant help nobody but hope there will Be something to help us. I Dont know the man that came out here but the red cross does. he also said the damn caseworkers Did not have to no say he Does as he pleased when he went to fix a roof. I told him we were human beings not Dogs. The Dr. that has been Dr ing us has a heart he will get his money some day if we ever get work to pay the Bills. will mail this to you. and hope you will Do something. right away. I will close I remain yours with respects

Mrs. Delia Curry
8306 N Blvd
Tampa Fla
P.S.
Again this morning, every thing all wet in house

The storm referenced in this letter is possibly the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane, which made landfall in the Florida Keys on September 2 at a Category 5 hurricane with sustained winds of up to 185 miles per hour. The storm then traveled along the west coast of the state and made a second landfall as a Category 4 hurricane near Cedar Key on September 4. Though it caused significant damage in the Tampa Bay area, the Keys suffered the most extensive damages from the storm and more than 400 people lost their lives.