LARGO, Fla. — Two nightmares, two weeks apart, for Tampa Bay.
Hurricanes Helene and Milton have brought catastrophic damage to the area, and are already projected to cost billions of dollars in insured losses alone. Strong winds and heavy rain from Milton are slated to make it among the costliest storms on record.
Privately insured losses from the Category 3 storm at landfall are expected to cost $36 billion, according to Karen Clark & Company.
For perspective, Friedlander said that would put it behind Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Ian, and about the same amount of privately insured losses as Hurricane Ida, if not more.
Despite the catastrophic damage left behind, Florida insurers are prepared to weather back-to-back storms, said Mark Friedlander with the Insurance Information Institute.
"The Florida property insurance industry is in its best financial position in many years due to the legislative reforms that addressed legal system abuse and claim fraud," Friedlander said.
The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation is reporting $1.8 billion in insured losses from Milton so far and counting. Combined with Helene, that's more than $3 billion so far.
Friedlander said while Helene dealt with flooding from storm surge, it's considered a moderate loss event. Widespread damaging wind, rain, and storm surge were a different story for Milton.
Residents like Michelle Cellini of Tarpon Springs said she evacuated twice from Helene and Milton and came back recently to what she calls a nightmare.
"It's horrible. I can't even honestly put it into words," Cellini said. "Minute by minute is how we're taking it."
Cellini, who said she doesn't live in a flood zone, was among those who tried to seek help at the Pinellas Disaster Recovery Center in Largo, as well as attempting to get assistance from FEMA.
However, like others later in the day, she said she was asked to return the next day due to high volumes of requests, and said she's still waiting for calls to be returned from FEMA.
10 Tampa Bay spoke with a FEMA representative Monday who stated the agency is "here to stay" and ready to assist people with their needs, but is also asking for patience.
However, Cellini said after waiting for more than two weeks, she's having to rely on her neighbors and the community to get her through the damages her home sustained.
"Just always be prepared for the worst because you always have to have your own back, your neighbor's back. You can't depend on the government or anybody else because nobody has been there to help us as of yet. Sadly, I hate to say that," she said.
Friedlander said a takeaway highlighted from the storms is the importance of having flood insurance even for areas not in high-risk designated flood zones. However, some residents have said due to surging costs for insurance, it poses a challenge.