INDIAN ROCKS BEACH, Fla. — Business owners on Indian Rocks Beach have begun the cleanup process following Hurricane Helene.
Mary Wilkerson owns Sarah's Seaside, a set of vacation rentals on Indian Rocks Beach.
She has owned the property for 30 years.
"These were all built in 1910, 1920s, 1940s so its been a labor of love. My husband and I, we love to restore things. We're not developers. We don't smash things. We don't build condos. We love to restore the old cottages so they were gorgeous inside, but they will be again. I am completely convinced," said Wilkerson.
Decades of hard work was washed away by Hurricane Helene.
Storm surge flooded the cottages. The swimming pool looks more like a sandbox.
"The devastation that we have seen is monumental. It's awful. It's exhausting," said Joanne Cookie Kennedy, former Mayor of Indian Rocks Beach.
Paul Jenkins with The Original Crabby Bill's on Indian Rocks Beach said his property flooded.
Flood water destroyed the fryers, the grills, and other appliances.
"It was about 10:00 on Thursday night and I could look at our cameras online on our phone and I see we have power so I log in and I look at our cameras on the inside of the restaurant. I could see tables floating and chairs floating," said Jenkins.
Jenkins said the restaurant has been on Indian Rocks Beach for nearly 40 years.
"One time we had about one inch of water and that was it. Never have we ever experienced anything like this in 40-plus years of being on the beach," said Jenkins.
On Tuesday afternoon, Pinellas County officials reopened the bridges to the Pinellas barrier islands.
Extra patrols will be on the barrier islands to look for looters.
"We're not encouraging everyone to come over here. This is to allow the resources people need to rebuild to get here and help them effectively," said Chief Eric Gandy with the City of Clearwater.
Jenkins said they are not yet ready for visitors. He plans to reopen as soon as possible.
"We lost just about every piece of equipment that was on the floor," he said.
Wilkerson hopes to rebuild and reopen the cottages. She expects cleanup to take one or two months.
"Anybody want to come help?" said Wilkerson while laughing.
"Grew up here, love it. Tampa, this was our beach, Indian Rocks. It's definitely in our blood. It's a real sense of community. People actually live here. It's not just a vacation rental place so that's really nice. We know all the restaurants. My sister owns the surf shop. It's a real sense of community."
The massive piles of debris littering communities across the Bay Area are not likely to end soon. We went to Town n Country, Baycrest, and Dana Shores to see how those areas are coming together.
