- Like many areas in the Big Bend, Taylor County is still undergoing repairs from previous storms
- IN Dekle Beach, neighbors worry about being able to survive another Hurricane
- Watch the video to hear how they're adapting
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
I'm Maya Sargent in Taylor county. This house behind me is still vacant following damage from hurricane Helene. A situation familiar to many families here. Yet the next hurricane season is on the horizon. Families tell me they're anxious and praying for a quiet season this year.
While the waters are calm at Dekle Beach right now
(sound of storms) Taylor County famlies know all too well what could be brewing this hurricane season.
"When you think about last year's hurricane season, what are some of the first words that come to mind?" I ask Dekle Beach neighbor, Hope Webb.
"Disheartening," she says. "You know, it's just, its last hurricane season was a nightmare, and now we're approaching the next one, and just don't know. Don't know what's coming."
Webb has been displaced from her home due to Helene damage since the day the storm hit last September.
"What damage Are you still dealing with?" I ask.
"Oh, we haven't. We don't have power. We don't have utilities. We I mean, my house is open air right now, windows doors open." Her belongings are in a camper, a move that's helped her prepare for this hurricane season. If a storm looks likely, she can roll her things out.
And she's not the only one planning ahead.
Kerri Bowen at Fiddler's Restaurant and Resort says they suffered lots of damage during Helene. That included losing their laundry facilities Now, they're building a new one — on wheels.
"If a storm, heaven forbid, and we're really hoping won't happen, does roll back in, we can actually pull it out and take all of those resources to higher ground and save some damage there, hopefully," Bowen explains.
This community has been bouncing back since Hurricane Idalia hit in August of 2023.
Hope says she's not sure how neighbors would deal with another major storm.
WEBB SOT: I have no doubt the people of the county would step up in the community, but we're tired, and I think that that everybody is tired, so I don't know that you would see the resilience come back quite as quickly if it happens again?
Want to see more local news? Visit the WTXL ABC 27 Website.
This year particularly families tell me they're preparing for the worst and hoping for the best. A sentiment that resonates even more deeply this year as neighbors here tell me they don't think they will survive another major hurricane.
Stay in touch with us anywhere, anytime.
