ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Dr. Meghan Martin said she’s worried her home will be flooded out for the third time.
A year hasn’t passed since her family moved back to their home in Shore Acres after water crept inside from Hurricane Idalia.
She worries the storm surge could be bigger than Idalia and most recently, Hurricane Debby.
“I just don't want to do this again. I'm so ready to just not do this again,” Martin said.
Martin plans to evacuate alongside her husband, kids and pets by the middle of the week.
Her neighborhood civic association’s president said he’s concerned not enough people are taking the threat seriously enough in the meantime.
“I mean, there's a few people who are getting ready, but I just don't see the urgency and I think people need to wake up,” Batdorf said.
Batdorf said he has spent his day contacting local city officials, tracking the National Weather Service, and doing what he can to inform his neighbors so they are best prepared.
As the neighborhood forges forward with plans to lift homes and provide resources for floodproofing homes, Batdorf hopes people continue to pay attention to weather reports and evacuate when needed.
Batdorf is also hoping if it does flood, people avoid driving through the water to avoid making the flooding worse.
Meanwhile, Jeff Fuller of Redington Beach is busy making last-minute storm preparations not just for himself, but for several others calling and texting him for help.
After experiencing flooding from Hurricane Ita, he vowed never to flood again.
He hasn’t since.
Fuller has spent the last few years finding ways to floodproof his home on his own and has since hosted seminars to help others, including in Shore Acres.
“My house is a fortress. I am not going to flood again,” Fuller said.
The tactics, he said, are things people can implement themselves at home.
Barriers can be found on his garage door, the walkway entry to his front door, and also protections on his back sliding glass door.
PVC boards are used to prevent water from coming in. He also said a caulking gun can be used to seal areas where water may otherwise enter.
Fuller even created a website, complete with video tutorials, in hopes other homeowners can benefit from his practices.
Fuller said his phone hasn’t stopped ringing all day, and he plans to make several stops in the next few days before it’s time for him, his wife and pets to evacuate.
“I am more stressed on this storm than any other storm that I've gone through. It's not because of my house. It's because of all the other homes that I've helped,” Fuller said.
As neighbors await the extent of the storm, Martin said she’s learned to focus on what she can control and what matters most.
“I think that if the last two floods have taught us anything, it's that a house is replaceable and the family is not,” Martin said. “As long as we're safe… we can make do.”