‘I just can’t thank them enough’: Neighboring tree rips through Northside home, community steps up
The community is coming together to support a woman whose home was severely damaged by a tree in her neighbor’s yard last week.
Eula Copeland, who lives just blocks from the Trout River, told Action News Jax Monday that she is “overwhelmed” by the kindness she’s been shown.
“I’m blessed, and people are a blessing in so many ways,” Copeland said. “I hope they are blessed back. I just can’t thank them enough. God has been good to me.”
The tree has been removed from Copeland’s roof, and a tarp has been placed over her roof. However, much work still needs to be done in her cleanup and rebuilding process.
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Copeland said she’s grateful to have her life.
Action News Jax first told you about Copeland on Friday. She has lived in her home for more than 25 years.
RELATED: ‘I’m blessed to be alive’: Northside home severely damaged after neighboring tree crashes down
A tree in her neighbor’s yard, around 90 feet tall, fell over and tore through her kitchen, dining room, and back porch. She said her home is unlivable.
Copeland does not have insurance for her severely-damaged home.
Over the weekend, community members have gone out of their way to show their support.
Bruce Scott is the owner of Alpha Tree Service in Jacksonville, the company that removed the tree from her roof for a low cost as Copeland seeks financial help.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a house as damaged as this one was,” Scott said.
When he heard Copeland’s story, he felt compelled to lend her a helping hand.
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“Ms. Eula has been blessed by God to be protected from this tree,” Scott said. “It was amazing how that came down while she was in the home and really just missed her by just a short distance.”
Tabitha Brewer lives in Brunswick and drove to Jacksonville to give to Eula financially.
“At first thought, I was grateful her injuries were not any worse! I felt so bad that she had fallen and broke her glasses. Immediately, I thought this could happen to anyone, in a different time and place that could easily have been me needing assistance from strangers. The least I could do was make sure she was able to get her glasses fixed and I knew the cleanup and tree removal would be no small task,” Brewer said.
The incident hit close to home for Reginald Taylor, who pitched in financially.
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“It actually tore my heart out just to see what had happened because we had an incident like this with my mother in the backyard, and it just missed the house,” Taylor said. “It made me think of my mother, so I just wanted to do something. I just want to reach out and help.”
A GoFundMe has been set up for Copeland. Click here to learn more about it.
“I appreciate everything,” Copeland said. “All that you do, getting it in the news and all of this. I just appreciate it from the bottom of my heart.”
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