HERNANDO BEACH, Fla. — Residents in Hernando Beach clean up after serious flooding and house fire caused by Hurricane Idalia.
Joel Silver banged the keys on his piano, playing a song of celebration, “Stand by Me.” His Hernando Beach neighborhood was underwater after Hurricane Idalia went by.
And five houses down, a home was on fire.
“I thought it might be my last rodeo. It wasn’t first my first rodeo. But I was pretty scared it would be my last. I was afraid the fire was going to start jumping down the houses,” said Silver.
A security camera at the house next door shows the roof burning. Thankfully, no one was home there and the fire did not spread.
David Hill’s drone video showed the house was a total loss.
“That’s when everything got real. I went down to check our garage to make sure everything was good because I was l like, what started that? What made that happen,” said Hill.
At the Hill’s house, fire wasn’t the issue, but the storm surge was.
Their security camera captured the waves crashing into their pool deck and tossing around their dock.
“I think we are actually blessed. I think it could have been way worse. There has been worse storms out here when I was a little kid,” said Sarah Hill.
While some houses in this neighborhood flooded, the Hills' made a last-minute investment in storm barriers.
They cost thousands of dollars but kept the water out.
“It was a lot easier. A lot quicker. And a lot less sandbag moving,” said David.
Now that the water is receding, people here are cleaning up and working together to get this neighborhood back the way it was.
“I couldn’t live in a better place. I love Hernando Beach. And I love Gulf Winds Circle,” said Silver.