PASCO COUNTY, Fla — A sign on Maryland Avenue in Hudson reads, Life After Helene, day three. “Pretty much everybody’s house was a total loss,” said Joshua Burns.
There are piles of junk furniture and appliances on nearly every street. Burns is trying to save what he can.
“I’m still going through and salvaging everything. But obviously beds, dressers. Literally, nothing is able to be saved,” said Burns.
When the storm surge came up through the canals, Burns' home took in at least five feet of water.
“It went above the light switches. It went above the counter tops. There’s pretty much nothing that can be saved,” said Burns.
Like so many renters, he will have to walk away and find somewhere else to live during a time of already-existent affordable housing shortage.
“I stayed in a hotel for a couple of days, now I’m staying at a friend's house because I have really nowhere else to go,” Joshua said.
In Port Richey, Rose Jackson flew down from Boston to help after her father’s home flooded.
“We knew Thursday night as the storm was starting to hit we lost contact with him because his dog had fallen into the water so he dropped his phone trying to retrieve the dog. He has a little chihuahua,” Jackson said.
Rose knows the flooding got really bad around 2 a.m. when her Terry Cobb’s watch stopped.
“When it had enough. New England Patriots,” she laughed.
There are resources around to help. FEMA crews are heading out to assess the damage, and plans are being made for cleanup.
But it will all be a slow and painful process.
It’s extra painful for Cobb who cut his legs during the storm. Then his daughter says he got an infection from walking in the flood waters.
He is hospitalized with sepsis.
“It is absolutely severe devastation everywhere you look. I’ve just never seen anything like this. Back up north we get plenty of snow storms. Not as dangerous,” said Jackson.
“Honestly, my heart sank"
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