ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Families in Shore Acres are just one group in the Bay area still cleaning up after last week's storm. Some said they're rebuilding, but others are leaving town.
Shore Acres got several feet of water in streets and homes during Helene. Flooding is a common concern for neighbors, but Liane Jamason said she's had enough.
“It's terrible, you feel helpless,” Jamason said.
Jamason faced a big cleanup after Hurricane Helene.
“I first walked through the sideyard, and I was just astonished because the storm had just picked my propane tank for example and tossed it on its side. Then we came in through the backdoor and there was just furniture was over in this room,” Jamason said.
Jamason said she's lived in her Shore Acres home for four years and this is the third time a storm has damaged her home.
“The first time was just tropical storm Eta just flooded the garage and patio but I still lost appliances and I flooded an inch in Hurricane Idalia and about three feet in Hurricane Helene,” Jamason said.
Items that took Jamason years to collect are now trash sitting on her curb. This time she says she's not rebuilding.
“It's a huge lot it's on a canal. So, for me it's not the right time to build up or knock down and rebuild so I'm going to try and sell it for lot value,” Jamason said.
As a realtor, she knows selling isn't an easy task in these coastal communities.
“It's tough right now, I think we're going to see a lot more people putting their homes on the market for lot value. I think it's a great time for developers to scoop up properties like that where they could rebuild them to code that's a problem this neighborhood was developed a century ago,” Jamason said.
Mother nature may be inevitable.
“It is going to be harder if a lot of people come on the market at the same time,” Jamason said.
She believes there will always be a draw to live by the water.
“I think people stay in Shore Acres flood after flood because it is an awesome neighborhood. This is the only place I've ever lived where there's a real sense of community,” Jamason said.
A new law went into effect less than a week ago requiring the seller of any residential property to disclose flood risks to the buyer.