HUDSON, Fla. — Hurricane Idalia in 2023 led Robert Laramore to begin elevating his home in Hudson.
“It scared us a little bit, so just for my wife and I to have peace of mind,” he said.
Unfortunately, the flooding from Hurricane Helene came before the house went up.
WATCH Pasco residents prepare for next hurricane season
“It reinforced it, but it also made us ask ourselves did we even want to be in this situation? Do we want to sell out and move? But no, we chose to fight. We are fighters,” said Laramore.
In the meantime, Robert, like so many others renovating flooded homes in Pasco County, is living in a camper.
He said it took some time for people here to get the help they needed from the local government.
“To start off, it was very confusing. I don’t think they’ve ever been through it, either. So they were trying to find their way as we were trying to find ours,” said Laramore.
Pasco County Emergency Management Director Andrew Fossa said they did learn a lot, especially when it comes to flooding.
“Where water is and where it is going to go. So, it’s helping us plan future stormwater projects to help move this water,” said Fossa.
The county is still pumping water out of areas on the east side.
On Saturday, they’ll be holding a Disaster Expo to prepare people for the next hurricane season, which is less than two months away.
“They’ve been through this now, so I’m sure they have a better plan than what they had before this,” said Laramore.
As always, the hope is they will never deal with storms like last year again. But Robert will be ready.
“We are elevating our home, and we’ll live happily ever after,” Laramore said.
Pasco County also has a digital version of its Disaster Preparedness Guide here.
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