PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — It's been six months since Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida's Big Bend region, bringing historic flooding to Florida's Gulf Coast.
Treasure Island was just one of the places that felt the brunt of last year's storm.
Months since the storm have been full of stress and changes for people living there.
The City of Treasure Island had issues with its permitting process, and families had to wait months to obtain permits to repair their homes.
"I'm afraid of what may happen next, because I never had a drop of water in here in 35 years. So I'm a little concerned," said George Williams, who lives on Treasure Island.
Williams never imagined a storm would devastate the first floor of his home on Treasure Island.
"First four and a half months were very frustrating, I was living all over the place, in hotels," said Williams.
It's been six months since Hurricane Helene uprooted his family.
He said it took a while to start repairing his home.
"Since I got my permit back about a month ago now, things are going a lot better…I'm fixing up my house, putting wall boards up," said Williams.
The City of Treasure Island ran into permitting issues early on after Helene, something hundreds of people dealt with.
"I know so many people including myself…back and forth, back and forth. I don't know how many times I was up there…eight, nine, ten. Some others, same thing and still didn't have their permits," said Williams.
Homeowners like Williams are now starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
"I would have like to have things better, but coming back to where we are now is the most important thing," said Williams.
Now, the city is almost caught up. Officials said 85% of permits have been issued for post-hurricane rebuilds.
Since it has taken a while for people to get permits, Treasure Island's neighborhoods still look pretty empty.
"That's the part that's a little sad because I like to see people in those condos, in those houses, with sand moved out of the way and being built back like we are here," said Williams.
Williams is now fixing up his home and hopes his neighbors will be able to do the same.
"You've got to have hope. If you don't, you might as well pack up and leave if you don't have that," said Williams.
"It's a great feeling to know that she's going to be okay."
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