Dear Editor:

I grew up in Tamaqua but moved to South Florida after graduating high school in 1972. Many of my family members still live in the area.Twenty-five years ago our family found out just how much my hometown, Tamaqua, and the surrounding area cared. On Aug. 24, 1992, we sat in our hallway crying and praying for God to spare our lives as Hurricane Andrew came in the front door of our home and went out the back. Our home was torn apart.Living close to the Everglades, emergency services were far away and vehicles were damaged. A few days after the storm, my nephew and brother as well as our friends, Harry and Nancy Everhart from Tamaqua, were the first outsiders to show up on our doorstep with a truck and a camper loaded with supplies that were mostly donated through the generosity of the people of Tamaqua and the surrounding area. They not only helped us but provided enough food and supplies to help our neighborhood. Items such as a generator was brought in so we could have running water and diapers, mosquito netting and baby food for a neighbor's infant.We would like to forget the horrors of Hurricane Andrew but we will never forget the generosity of the people of Tamaqua during that time.Twenty-five years … thank you again for being there for us.Doris "Hollenbach" MenesesFlorida City, Florida