HUDSON, Fla — After Hurricane Helene, Heather Ivers had a missing boat to find.
“I thought it was out in the Gulf of Mexico somewhere and we’d never get it back,” Ivers said.
She posted on the neighborhood Facebook page to be on the lookout for the Maine Escape.
Sure enough, someone spotted her boat in Mark Weber’s driveway almost a mile away.
“It found a way it must have come through over there. It had found a way through. That’s probably the lower part of the driveway. That’s where the water drained out,” said Weber.
Heather had to hire a crane crew to lift the boat out of that tight spot. Withlacoochee Electric was also there to move power lines.
“My biggest concern is that it comes out of here safely and nobody gets hurt. That’s my biggest concern because it’s a big boat,” said Ivers.
The big crane lifted the big boat up in the air and eventually onto a trailer.
“I’m happy it’s off this guy’s property and it’s on the trailer. It looks like it’s in pretty good condition,” said Ivers.
You can’t say the same for Mark’s Honda motorcycle.
It was crushed under the boat.
His guest cottage got damaged, too.
But then it could have been much worse.
“The old-timers around here, the natives say they’ve never seen the water this high in this neighborhood,” said Weber.
So, while everyone here in the Vista Del Mar community deals with one mess after another, the Maine Escape is headed back to Heather’s house, where she still has a lot more work to do.
“We had about four feet of water in the house so the whole inside has to be gutted,” said Ivers.
"Get down here and help us"
As recovery efforts on Treasure Island continue, residents question FEMA's response and want more help bringing supplies in and out.
