PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — A Pinellas County senior was forced to evacuate from his assisted living facility for Hurricane Helene, but five weeks later, he still hasn’t been allowed back in his home.
Now his frustrated family is turning to 8 On Your Side for answers.
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James Donarski’s family said he left The Barclay at Pasadena with just two days’ worth of clothes and a week’s worth of medication and now he needs to get back into the facility. Turns out, James isn’t the only one.
“I am homeless, and that’s a hell of a feeling,” Donarski said.
Donarski relied on medication for his congenital heart failure to keep him healthy at 92 years old.
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“This is unbelievable that they won’t let me get in that building,” Donarski said.
Residents at The Barclay at Pasadena were told to evacuate on Sept. 26 before Hurricane Helene. Some were bussed to a sister property in Sarasota, forced to sleep on cots. Others, including Donarski, went to stay with family.
“He’s not that independent outgoing fella,” said Cathy O’Brien, James’ daughter. “He looks at me and goes, ‘help’ I go, ‘I’m trying, dad.’”
O’Brien said her dad’s zest for life is gone as five weeks have passed without being allowed to return home.
“He’s lost 10 pounds in one month,” she said.
O’Brien said staff at the Barclay only retrieved two small bags of her dad’s items.