MADISON, Fla. (WTXL) — It’s been nearly a year since Hurricane Helene hit Madison County, but for one elderly couple, the path home is still out of reach.
- Hurricane Helene brought 80 mph winds to Madison County, causing widespread damage and power outages.
- A year later, a couple in their 80s, are still living in a hotel after losing their mobile home.
- Watch the video below to learn how one group is rallying neighbors to lend a hand.
Madison County families still struggle with housing after Hurricane Helene
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Since Hurricane Helene tore through North Florida last fall—some Madison County neighbors have yet to return home.
I’m neighborhood reporter Lentheus Chaney in Madison—where one family is still living in a motel room while hoping to get back to the land they love.
During Helene, the Florida Climate Center recorded peak gusts of 80 miles per hour in Madison.
Duke Energy called the damage to power lines and infrastructure significant—at one point leaving the entire county in the dark.
Since then, local nonprofits have been crucial in keeping families afloat.
Sher Alloway, Co-Founder of Starfish Disaster Recovery, says she spent more than 30 years with the Red Cross responding to major disasters.
Now, she’s turned her focus to helping neighbors in Madison County.
“People don’t have resources. They don’t know there are resources out there. They need caseworkers, somebody local just to guide them through that process. Some folks don’t have cell phones—nevertheless, you know, social media and access to things like that. So they don’t know what is there,” Alloway said.
For neighbors Ed and Sandra Brown—who have called North Florida home for decades—the storm destroyed their mobile home, and they haven’t been able to return since.
"It was a mess. I mean, trees were down everywhere. It was just a mess. I couldn’t even get on the front porch—couldn’t get through the gate. Couldn’t get into the front door, which had been blown off,” neighbor Sandra Brown said.
Ed, a disabled veteran now in his 80s, is mostly bedridden. Sandra, his wife, cares for him despite her own health problems.
"He’s dependent on me for a lot, you know, just about everything. And then my health turned really bad in the last year or so. Lotta different health problems I have now. So between the two of us, you know, it’s been hard,” Sandra Brown said.
After the storm, the Browns moved from shelters to four different motels.
FEMA helped temporarily—but with those funds gone, they now spend more than half their limited income to stay in a small motel room.
Starfish Disaster Recovery is now leading a fundraising effort to get the Browns back to their property.
The land still has a working RV hookup—but they need a camper that meets accessibility requirements.
“We do have many, many families here in Madison County, but [who] still are either displaced, or they’re living in homes, mobile homes, campers that really should not be lived [in]. They’re not safe,” Alloway said.
Alloway says they are hoping to raise $15,000 for a new camper—and are asking the community to help get the Browns back home.
For more information on how you can assist, visit Starfish Disaster Recovery.
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