PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — It’s a tough sight to see.
Jason Pickering’s once-beachy and blissful neighborhood close to Dunedin has modified drastically since Hurricane Helene.
“I believed I discovered heaven after I moved down right here,” he stated.
Solar Retreats Dunedin, a cellular residence park, now seems like hell in locations. The neighborhood flooded badly throughout Helene’s historic storm surge.
“There’s fairly a number of sleepless nights or nights interrupted by ideas of despair,” Pickering stated.
Pickering and neighbors like Debby Weaver are nonetheless in limbo seven months later. They’re not sure in the event that they’ll be capable of rebuild, not sure in the event that they’ll get cash to raise, and not sure in the event that they’ll have to maneuver away and discover a new residence someplace else, possibly exterior Pinellas County.
“I really feel like we deserve each alternative to remain right here and proceed to be productive residents of this county,” Weaver stated.
However for folks like Weaver and Pickering, assist is perhaps on the best way.
Pinellas County is drawing up a plan for the $813 million in federal funding it was not too long ago awarded to assist meet unmet wants after the latest hurricanes.
By all accounts, the unmet wants are nonetheless lots.
“There are folks in right here which have gone into debt taking out — maxed out their credit score simply attempting to purchase new vehicles and, you realize, issues that had been ruined in right here,” Weaver stated.
In an preliminary draft motion plan for the cash, printed simply days in the past, Pinellas County proposes how it might spend the $813 million.
Of these funds, $490 million can be used to assist householders, reconstruct or rehabilitate their houses, elevate or change houses the place that’s required, or relocate cellular houses the place they’ll’t get replaced or rebuilt.
Roughly $21 million could possibly be spent to reimburse householders for prices they’ve already paid to demolish, rebuild, or rehab houses.
One other $10 million could possibly be spent to relocate householders from sure weak cellular residence communities.
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Pickering, Weaver and Debby don’t need to be relocated. If potential, they need to stay at Solar Retreats Dunedin.
“We simply need to get again to our lives,” he stated.
Regardless, they know lots of their neighbors will need assistance, and so they hope the county will ship enough support.
“Please simply don’t overlook about us, you realize,” Pickering stated.
You may share your ideas with Pinellas County in regards to the plan for the funds via Might 23. Click on right here to take action.