Sundome evacuees eager to go home

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Hundreds of evacuee's at the USF Sundome rode out the storm by listening to live jazz and gospel music.

Evacuee Wanda Davis said, at one point she forgot there was a storm outside.

"The gentleman was playing the saxophone and piano up there and a little gospel music," said Davis.

Davis was one of nearly eight hundred special needs evacuee's who sought refuge from Irma's fury.

Elinnizzy Rodriguez was also seeking shelter, but this evacuee turned into a volunteer caregiver.

"Without no special training but you don't need training when you have a heart," said Rodriguez.

She says it became like a family inside everyone pitching to help the frail and the old with whatever they needed, no matter how personal.

"I did housekeeping. I cleaned the bathrooms. I cleaned the restrooms for the ladies. I helped some of them change their diapers," she added. "I kept them calm. A lot of them didn't even want to go home without me."

And Elinnizzy's niece, Lenializ Batista became a pet sitter.

"It calmed me. They were so cute. I was just happy," said Batista.

And now that Elinnizzy, her family, and the people she helped are heading home it's not goodbye for evacuee Shirley Hosey.

"It's, 'see you later.' She is the best helper. She helped everybody in the place. She's pretty special," said Hosey.