TAMPA, Fla. — It does not take long when driving into Davis Islands to see the extensive damage from Hurricane Helene.
Debris is an omnipresent figure in the area and there is simply not enough time to clean it all up before Hurricane Milton makes its arrival sometime early Thursday morning.
Beyond the drywall and wood, there are objects like sofas, recliners and pool tables that could potentially become projectile instruments once Hurricane Milton makes landfall. Even if these objects do not fly in the air, there is a high probability they will float away during the storm surge — dispersed in many directions possibly contaminating the Gulf when the surge water recedes.
Beyond the littered sidewalks, a community that has rarely seen devastation has realized that things have drastically changed in a few weeks.
At this point, business owners and residents of Davis Islands are evacuating the area hoping that they will have something to come home to when the hurricane has left town.
"We're doing everything we can to get the most important stuff out of the house and put it in storage or at my significant other's house," Davis Islands resident Frank Green said. "Saying some prayers and hoping for the best."
Businesses in the heart of Davis Boulevard saw as many as two feet of water trickle into their establishments. Many owners aren't even trying to board up this time around.
We've heard something along the lines of the damage has already been done.