Florida State University Athletics
After Losing Home To Hurricane Michael, FSU’s Robinson Encouraged By Support
10/17/2018 12:59:55 PM | Football
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Walls and roofs can be rebuilt. Furniture, televisions and clothes can all be replaced.
What’s most painful to Janarius Robinson is the thought of losing memories from a house that has stood for generations.
Robinson, a redshirt sophomore defensive end and a native of Panama City, Fla., was one of many to lose his family home when Hurricane Michael ripped through the Florida panhandle last week.
“It’s the memories,” Robinson said before practice on Wednesday morning. “The house has been there forever. It’s my grandma’s house. Some of the stuff, memories, you can’t get that stuff back.
“Especially the house.”
With Bay County under a mandatory evacuation order as the storm approached, Robinson and his family evacuated to Georgia.
When they returned to Panama City, they found devastation and destruction.
Schools, churches and houses had all been damaged, and trees – some fallen over, others snapped in half – were everywhere.
Across the state, Michael is projected to have caused billions of dollars in damage.
“It just really looked like someone dropped a nuclear bomb on us,” Robinson said. “If you didn’t know where you were, you wouldn’t know. Because nothing looks the same.”
That goes for Robinson’s home, too.
Photos posted online show a wall that’s been completely demolished, a missing roof and a living room covered in debris and water damage. Among the few things that appeared untouched were stacks of recruiting letters – from the likes of FSU, Florida, Georgia and Notre Dame – dating back to Robinson’s days as a prep All-American at Panama City’s Bay High.
The National Weather Service estimated that coastal areas of Florida received between nine and 12 feet of storm surge.
“It was devastating to see something that you’ve been growing up in all your life destroyed,” Robinson said. “Ripped to shreds.”
Broke my heart yesterday, watching my God Son #11Jrob dig through what was left of his home trying to salvage some of the memories he and his mom made. In the midst of all the devastation he continued to talk about how or whom he could
help around the city.#ProudGodFather pic.twitter.com/rRBuwPzt3R— Omega Wynn (@Omegawynn2323g1) October 13, 2018
Robinson has no misgivings about the situation. It’s been hard, and will continue to be hard for him, his mother and virtually everyone in his community.
But he’s also determined to make the best of a bad situation.
By using his voice and the public platform that comes with being a Florida State football player, Robinson believes that he can draw attention not only to his family but also to the broader plight of Northwest Florida.
And Robinson also believes that returning to his teammates in Tallahassee and playing in Saturday’s game against Wake Forest will have two immediate benefits: It will help take his mind away from all the stress of the last seven days, while also giving his family something to feel good about.
Those things can be awfully valuable at a time like this.
“I guess it’s been better,” Robinson said, “getting back to practice after going through what I’ve been through for the last week. …
“This is a time for me to get my mind away, and off of the things that have happened. I come out here, get my mind off it and get back to worth with my brothers.”
No one on Florida State’s roster can fully comprehend Robinson’s pain. Some, like Houston natives Dontavious Jackson and Marvin Wilson, have seen a hurricane’s devastating effects in their hometowns.
Others have never felt the personal impact of a major storm.
But everyone in garnet and gold – whether on the football team, in the athletics department or in the university – is united in their support of Robinson, other FSU student-athletes, students and staff affected by Michael, and the communities surrounding the Florida State campus.
“That’s when you see who your real friends are,” Wilson said. “And the best thing about it is everybody’s been checking on ‘J-Rob’ and other guys who were affected by it. … We’re all just trying to reach out for each other.”
“I think he feels the love here,” defensive coordinator Harlon Barnett added. “And not only him, but his actual family. His mom and everybody feel the love that we’re showing him. … And if there’s anything we can do to help, we’re willing to do so.”
With that in mind, Florida State on Monday announced that the Seminole Emergency Relief Fund, a general fund to assist FSU staff and students in times of crisis, has shifted its focus to Hurricane Michael recovery. Included in that is separate fund specifically for those affected at FSU’s Panama City campus. Fans and supporters can donate directly, or they can purchase a “Panhandle Strong” t-shirt. One-hundred percent of the net proceeds from shirt sales will go to the Seminole Emergency Relief Fund.
Additionally, Robinson recently shared the details of an NCAA-approved Gofundme campaign aimed at helping his family recover and rebuild.
“It feels good,” Robinson said, “to know that I have the love and support that can get me through this tough time in my life.”