PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — So many people here in the Tampa Bay area are still rebuilding after the hurricanes. A FEMA program that has helped hundreds of displaced families is now coming to an end.
Families are now being told to move out of the FEMA-funded hotels where they've been staying.
"If we didn't have the help we have here now, where would we be? What would we do?" said Jason Rule, who is staying at the Bilmar Beach Resort.
For Jason Rule, the Bilmar Beach Resort has been his saving grace.
"They provided food for Thanksgiving. They've done everything and bent over backwards," said Rule.
He's one of the many people Hurricane Helene displaced.
"We had complete inundation of our house with flood water. We wanted to go back, but the city determined it to be uninhabitable," said Rule.
Several hotels all over the Tampa Bay Area opened to those who lost their homes to the storm, and FEMA paid for the stay.
While the temporary housing has been helpful, it's coming to an end.
"Nobody knows what they are going to do. We are trying to make a plan and figure it out but as it stand now, we just don't have any recourse," said Rule.
FEMA is ending the program starting Tuesday and many people will be required to move out over the next several weeks.
Families at temporary hotels said they need more time to get back on their feet.
"My next step is to hopefully extend this out as long as we can, and hope to god that they continue an extension, because there's going to be thousands of people just like me who have no place to go, wondering what are we going to do," said Rule.
Leah Campen and Steven Kovich said their home is still in shambles.
"We would love the extension because we need to be down here. We have a place to stay that's like an hour and a half away, but that doesn't really help us when we have to be present with the city to work with our permitting," said Campen.
FEMA stated it will review possible extensions.
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