PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — On a Monday morning just days before Christmas, Despina Athanason sat outside her Clearwater Beach home with a garage sale sign in the front yard.
"It's been difficult,” she said. “That's why we're moving. We're selling the house. We're going to Pennsylvania."
Months have gone by since Hurricane Helene flooded homes in the neighborhood. It's an area ABC Action News visited days after the storm.
Athanason’s home has been in her husband's family for 75 years.
"The water raised up to four feet,” said Athanason. “It came underneath the crawl space, and there was nothing you could do to stop it."
As families continue to recover from back-to-back storms, Pinellas County is rolling out applications for its Hurricane Home Repair program.
"We opened up at 8:00 a.m. and already have over 60 applications within the first few minutes,” said Sheri Harris, the Housing Section Manager with Pinellas County’s Housing and Community Development Department.
The program helps homeowners impacted by Hurricanes Helene or Milton pay for storm repairs not covered by insurance or FEMA. People who are eligible can get up to $30,000 in grant funding for eligible repairs.
"We can cover repairs that have already been made. Insurance deductibles are an eligible expense as well, and we can also provide assistance for future repairs that are needed,” said Harris.
The program has specific requirements based on income and where you live.
County officials said the program is available for households that earn less than 120 percent of the Area Median Income, or $80,280 for an individual or $114,600 for a family of four. People who apply will be prioritized based on need and income, starting with special needs households, then those earning 50 to 80 percent of Area Median Income or less.
"It's really important that if you're within the City of St. Petersburg, Largo, or Clearwater that you should not come through this application cycle, but you should go directly to those communities. They receive their own funding,” said Harris.
Keep in mind that people who apply have to provide both homeowners insurance information and a FEMA award or denial letter before being considered for approval.
The deadline to register for FEMA Individual Assistance for Helene and Milton is coming up on January 7.
"Everything helps,” said Athanason. “Every little thing will help."
For more information on the program, click here.
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