‘Ticking time bomb’: Florida’s migrant workers await Hurricane Helene

Hurricane Helene was still forming in the Gulf, hundreds of miles away and Saidy Martinez still only had enough time and money to buy bread, a dozen cans of food, and milk before heading back to her mobile home in Wimauma late Wednesday.

“I had to leave for work very early and didn’t have enough money to get more,” said Martinez, a 26-year-old Guatemalan immigrant.

Martinez works for a landscaping company eight to ten hours, five days a week. She said her weekly paycheck of $480 isn’t enough to cover the $1,500 rent for her mobile home, food, utilities, and other household expenses. During the weekends she sells tamales, sandwiches and soft drinks.

Helene is the fifth hurricane to hit Florida since 2019 that, along with numerous other tropical storms and torrential rain showers, push thousands of Florida migrant workers to the brink. Not only must workers like Martinez scramble on limited budgets and bandwidths to prepare for storms, there’s little help awaiting them after the deluge of wind, rain and surge.

About a month and a half ago, when Tropical Storm Debby caused major flooding in front of her mobile home, Martinez had to borrow $300 from friends to buy additional food and supplies for herself, her husband Marco Lopez, 29, who is blind, and their five-year-old son, Deyner.

It was an unexpected expense. She’s still paying it off.

A major hurricane like Helene brings even more stress.

Ana Lamb, a local activist who assists Hispanic families, said migrant workers are among the most vulnerable during hurricanes.

“In a new country, many even struggle to understand the concept of a shelter because, in our countries of origin, it is not very common,” said Lamb. “Many come to work for just a few months and are unfamiliar with the system.”

Some live in temporary housing or remote areas, making evacuation or finding safe refuge more difficult, Lamb said. Language barriers often prevent them from receiving timely instructions or warnings. For others, the lack of a strong network of friends and family can also be a problem.

Rosalba Gonzalez lives in Wimauma. She’s been working in the fields for a decade, supporting her family of four by picking strawberries, tomatoes, and blueberries. She works Monday to Saturday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Her struggles become harder during hurricane season. She makes $380 a week and can’t afford to adequately prepare. Gonzalez does not have health insurance and permanent legal status. She doesn’t speak English.

Gonzalez, a 40-year-old Mexican immigrant, said when there’s work, she can pay their bills but it takes a lot of effort. Life gets much harder when there’s no work, especially now that many companies and employers are cutting hours, she said.

“Hurricane season is like a ticking time bomb — either our house floods or we have to spend more money,” Gonzalez said.

Virginia Tempiche, a 46-year-old construction worker in Dover, said there wasn’t much work a month ago, so the Mexican mother didn’t make enough money. She earns $16 an hour.

Hurricane Helene worried her just as she was starting to recover and work more hours last week. On Wednesday afternoon she tried to buy water and supplies at a nearby ‘bodega’, but the owner raised the prices too much, Tempiche said.

“If it’s not one thing, it’s another,” she said.

Floods, like the ones caused by Debby in August, are still fresh. She said many people lost everything in those rains.

“I just hope nothing happens,” Tempiche said. “It doesn’t hurt to pray.”