CLEARWATER, Fla. — In the hours after Hurricane Milton made landfall, flooding in one apartment complex prompted hundreds to be rescued. Now, some tenants said they have to move out with days notice.
First responders rescued more than 500 people trapped at The Standard at 2690 Apartments located on Drew Street. The area was not in the mandated evacuation zone based on the county's information page.
However, residents like Joanna Greenfield said she found out this past Friday that she has until Tuesday afternoon to move her belongings out.
Greenfield, a mother of two kids, said she's running out of money after paying for hotels after she was unable to return to the property. In addition, her car had also been damaged by the flooding.
"It's heartbreaking," Greenfield said. "We don't know the impact it's gonna have on them."
Her notice to vacate wrote in part, "In the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, inspections conducted by professionals have revealed that some units, including yours, have sustained significant damage and are no longer safe for occupancy."
A separate message explained that after belongings are removed, staff will proceed to dispose everything inside the units and begin demolition. Security deposits will also be refunded, the message stated.
She said staff told her an apartment in Tampa was available but Greenfield, who said she's lived in the Clearwater apartment for seven years, says a shelter is her best option.
"I don't know how that's gonna work. Uprooting everything, taking them to a new school, finding new jobs. We don't know," she said.
Greenfield, who lives on the second floor, received a message from property management noting that her building was deemed no longer safe to live in.
Resident Andrena Palmieri said she left the property to move out of harm's way from the storm, but now she must leave for good. She received the same notification declaring her building unfit to live in.
Like Greenfield, she lives on the second floor of her building.
"It's just really sad, you know, there's a lot of people that are suffering right now," Palmieri said.
Palmieri said she recently just recovered from cancer and is on Social Security. She said she has run out of money trying to get storage for her belongings and a truck.
Both tenants have shared that flooding has happened before.
Clearwater police shared video on X of the apartment complex flooding the night of Hurricane Debby, but it was not the six feet of flooding from Hurricane Milton.
For now, residents like Greenfield say they understand other tenants may have it worse.
She hopes to find an apartment she can afford nearby for her 5 and 6-year-old boys as she waits at a shelter.
"We literally don't know anything day to day, so we have to take it one day at a time," she said.
If you'd like to donate to Greenfield's GoFundMe, visit this link.
There have been efforts from faith leaders and organizations to support affected tenants, some of who were said to have been sleeping at the Best Buy parking lot across the street.
10 Tampa Bay reached out to apartment management Infinity BH for comment, but has not heard back.