GULFPORT, Fla. — The powerful winds from Hurricane Debby wreaked havoc on Gulfport’s boating community.
“I said, ‘Man, I'm in Massachusetts. There's nothing I can do right now.’ Even though I knew I had her secured. I had her double anchored,” Butch Craig said.
Craig said his boat was waiting for him on Gulfport Beach's sandy shore along with multiple others.
“But, it's my home. This is my home that I was supposed to be moving into today, but now today I'm just trying to get her off the beach,” Craig said.
The storm left dozens of people stranded. Craig said he plans to get his boat back in the water next week, but others aren't so lucky. Some boats sank. Debby punched holes in others, letting water seep inside, and letting belongings float away.
Craig said he bought his boat Joeli here about three weeks ago. She's sustained minor damage in the storm and it's going to take hundreds of dollars to repair it.
Neighbors like Anita Mclaughlin said their community is tight-knit.
"Quite a few of them are actually my customers that come in here. even the man who lost his life he was in here Saturday, so it's been hard," McLaughlin said.
She owns a store in Gulfport called the Funky Flamingo. She's helping to organize and prepare meals for people displaced.
“It's humanity. It's something we as Gulfport do. And it's not just me there's so many other people organizing clothing and housing,” McLaughlin said.
Mclaughlin said it's been a group effort. Local businesses and people in the community like Colleene Colley have been pitching in.
“Right now, I'm just doing dinner. but there's good spirits here, people are really helping,” Colley said.
Colley said in times like this it really shows what it means to be Gulfport strong.
This one was more devastating because I think we weren't prepared, but we're coming together. We do a lot better together than apart.