JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Daybreak brought heartbreak for those in the path of Hurricane Laura.
"My daughter is over there. She goes, 'Dad, everybody needs help.' We have people and we want to give back when we can,” said Jeremy Patterson.
He has family in Louisiana. So, the decision to make the 11-hour drive to Lake Charles from St. Augustine was an easy one.
"We are thankful in life and wish, that everyone is okay and there's no damage, but unfortunately that is not true,” Patterson said.
His construction company is in charge of relocating the Confederate monuments in St. Augustine. He left a crew behind to continue that work while others are making the drive with food and water ready to be handed out to those who lost everything.
Patterson knows the struggles of starting over having lost his home in a tornado 20 years ago.
"The one thing I will never forget was an old lady across the street came up to me and goes, 'I know you feel. You've lost everything, but there is tomorrow.’ She gave me a hug and ever since that, I will continue to share the love and pay it forward,” Patterson said.
He plans to visit Lake Charles and New Orleans handing out food, including hiring a food truck to feed families.