BAJA aids in Hurrican Michael Efforts

Article via FoxNews
By Gary Gastelu | Fox News
November 1, 2018

Jeeps have been known to roll over now and then, but have you ever seen them roll over a house?

Last weekend, an off-road club came to the assistance of a family in Panama City, Fla., whose mobile home was tipped over by the winds of Hurricane Michael.

The structure was totaled, and owner Dereck Clifton told Jalopnik that he’d been quoted $12,000 to have it righted and removed.

When his friend heard the price, he had a better idea. The Bay Area Jeep Association, of which he is a member, had been helping drag trees out of the way, deliver supplies and perform search and rescue throughout the ravaged area since the storm, so he challenged them to put their winches to work on the house.

A dozen or so Wrangler owners, some who'd lost their own homes, showed up with their trucks, attached their cables to the home’s frame and slowly cinched the lines until the house fell back onto its foundation.

“When they came together they said they didn’t want a dime from me, they were doing it out of the kindness of their heart,” Clifton said. “They knew the risk they were taking, but they done it. And they succeeded with it.”

Clifton was able to retrieve personal items from the home and only had to pay $2,500 to have it scrapped. He’s not yet sure if he and his wife will rebuild or leave the area, but he’s forever grateful to the club, which he sounds like he’d like to join.

“Me losing everything I’ve got, I can’t afford a Jeep. But I do want one,” he said. “That right there is brotherhood together. That’s a big family.”

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