9/19/18 – 7:01 A.M.

A Fostoria native returned home with her family last week so they could get out of the path of Hurricane Florence. Linda Lawrence has lived in North Carolina for 13 years but says this is the first time she’s had to evacuate before a storm.

Lawrence is the daughter of Clara Spencer of Fostoria. Lawrence and four of her five children loaded two cars and left Jacksonville, North Carolina last Wednesday. They brought three changes of clothing and their pets, along with other items they didn’t want to lose to the hurricane.

Lawrence says neighbors have sent her pictures of the damage to her home. Half of the ceiling over her daughter’s bedroom had collapsed and the dining room has water damage. She plans to head back to start the repair process this week.

It’s not the first time her family has dealt with a major hurricane. Her husband’s parents lived in New Orleans during Katrina. She said it took them more than a year to get everything put back together.

Joseph Lawrence wasn’t able to help with hurricane evacuation this time around. He is currently stationed Bahrain, where he serves as a master gunnery sergeant in the Marine Corps.

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