By admin Shattered survivors of Florida’s twin hurricane horror are asking: is this the death of paradise?
Because residents in idyllic beachside communities smashed twice in just two weeks by the unstoppable forces of Helene and Milton are confronting a realization – the beauty may not be worth the beast if you live on the state’s stunning Gulf of Mexico coastline.
In Anna Maria, on the northern tip of a thin barrier island of the same name, 28 miles from Milton’s landfall in Siesta Key last week, streets remain covered in deep sand and huge mounds of household debris are piled outside houses.
Recently-constructed McMansions worth $16million-plus mingle with more modest homes built before the community’s lure to the super rich. Many of the smaller houses are also worth millions, due to the land.
Street after street are testimony to the terrifying seven-foot storm surge of Helene that washed through mercilessly and the 105mph winds of Milton that ripped off roofs.
Larry Kerr stood outside the house he has owned with wife Jean for 40 years – a brightly painted 1960s single story home just yards from the waterfront – and admitted it might be time to leave the Anna Marie Island after the destruction of Hurricane Helene and Milton
A novelty flamingo mailbox managed to survive the storms and now stands among piles of furnisshiings trashed by Helene and Milton
The Kerrs rode out Helene, which killed 227 in multiple states, and were lucky to escape with their lives as the wall of water engulfed their home. ‘It was up to my hips in the house, the road here looked like a raging river,’ said Jean
Larry Kerr stood outside the house he has owned with wife Jean for 40 years – a brightly painted 1960s single story home just yards from the waterfront – and admitted it might be time to call it quits.
‘I always said if a hurricane happened I was just going to have this place demolished and put up a for sale sign and walk away,’ he told DailyMail.com exclusively. ‘Well, we’ve survived two in two weeks.
‘Now I’m thinking I’ll give it one more shot. But if this happens again, I’m starting my demolition fund.’
Kerr, a 70-year-old Floridian born and bred, continued: ‘It’s just too much. We’re not going to go through getting back on our feet yet again. Here, the value of the property is not the house, it’s the dirt it’s sitting on.’
The Kerrs rode out Helene, which killed 227 in multiple states, and were lucky to escape with their lives as the wall of water engulfed their home. ‘It was up to my hips in the house, the road here looked like a raging river,’ said Jean.
Her husband added: ‘Our refrigerator inside went floating by us inside. And you could literally take a ride on the couch because it was also floating in the living room. My year-old truck was underwater and it’s totaled.
A restaurant and gift shop at the end of Anna Maria City Pier, separated from land by water after the destruction that Hurricane Helene and Milton brought to Anna Marie Island
Diners and customers can no longer do business at the City Pier Grill & Bait Shop – unless they’re good swimmers
Anna Maria, on the northern tip of a thin barrier island of the same name, 28 miles from Milton’s landfall in Siesta Key last week, suffered infrastructure damage and was littered with debris
‘But we survived Helene, somehow. We preserved what we could. We’ve had this place for at least 40 years but you have to think, is it worth it?’
The couple, who also have a home in Columbia, South Carolina, fled to Port St Lucie, on Florida’s east coast, as Milton approached. There, they narrowly dodged one of the killer tornados formed in the hurricane’s weather pattern.
William Gravely, 72, said: ‘Alabama looks good. And that’s a terrible shame because I like this little particular town’
Retired pharmacist William Gravely, 72, moved to Anna Maria permanently three years ago from Kentucky with wife Nancy after buying their home seven years ago, deciding it was their dream location.
Now, he’s not so sure.
‘Anna Maria has one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, and we’ve been to a lot of places,’ Gravely told DailyMail.com during a pause from clearing outside debris.
‘I have an affinity for the beach. We rented out our place to start with then decided to retire here. So we did – and we’ve had to evacuate four times because of hurricanes since then.
‘There was Ian and Idalia, which we escaped damage. But since Helene and Milton, moving out of Florida has definitely crossed my mind. Alabama looks good.
‘And that’s a terrible shame because I like this little particular town. My wife’s had family here for years. It’s got a different vibe, it’s not a gated community. It’s not a bunch of golf courses and people who won’t talk to you. It’s a real town.
‘There’s a lot of camaraderie and I have no doubt the place will build back and be stronger than ever – until the next hurricane.’
The smaller Rod & Reel Pier was also destroyed in the double whammy that Helene and Milton brought to Anna Maria Island
Jackson lost $550,000 when four mobile homes he bought in September for vacation lets were destroyed in the hurricanes. His insurance didn’t kick in until 30 days after purchase
He added: ‘With climate change, we’re getting more and more hurricanes, because the water in the Gulf is warmer and warmer. And where that hurricane will strike is like Russian Roulette. You hope it doesn’t hit you, but then you’re scared it’s going to hit your neighbor 20 miles up the road.’
The double hurricane whammy has pushed businessman Cory Jackson into realizing the hurricane threat on Florida’s west coast is just too dangerous for his thriving vacation rentals company.
He told DailyMail.com he’s selling off some of his properties from the eight he owns because having so many potentially at the mercy of killer storm after killer storm is a financial nightmare.
Additionally, he instantly lost $550,000 when four mobile homes he bought in September for vacation lets were destroyed in the hurricanes. His insurance didn’t kick in until 30 days after purchase, too late for a payout.
As he grappled with a pressure washer to clean up outside two adjoining properties he owns a few blocks from the beach, he said: ‘I’m definitely going to downsize after this.’
Alluding to a possible real estate hit, the 54-year-old whose main home is near Columbus, Ohio, added: ‘When the market comes back, I’m going to get rid of a few of them.’
As an indicator of Anna Maria’s desirability, each of the two small but immaculate adjoining rental properties where we found Jackson can rent out for $7,000 a week during high season.
Laurel Nevans, 60, said she’s never leaving the island as she stood outside her badly damaged townhouse
‘I’m never going to leave, I’m going to die here,’ 60-year-old Laurel Nevans told DailyMail.com outside her badly damaged townhouse, which has the roof ripped. Asked if that would be in a hurricane, she shrugged and replied: ‘Who knows?’
They are worth about $3.5million each, he told us. But property taxes are $27,000 and insurance $17,000 for each one.
‘These hurricanes have definitely increased my anxiety. I have too many eggs in one basket down here. A lot of people I’ve talked to, they’re kind of sick of it. But we’ll see once everyone cleans up if they’re still sick of it or not, because this is still a piece of paradise.’
For some in Anna Maria, which has a permanent population of under 1,000 but has hundreds of vacation homes, the hurricanes have hardened their resolve to stay.
‘I’m never going to leave, I’m going to die here,’ 60-year-old Laurel Nevans told DailyMail.com outside her badly damaged townhouse, which has the roof ripped. Asked if that would be in a hurricane, she shrugged and replied: ‘Who knows?’
She added: ‘We have such a strong community that we’re going to get through this. We have all pulled together. I lost my car and my golf cart, my house is damaged and people have been delivering me food.
‘To me, this is still paradise. We may look like a mess right now, but we’re going to rebuild.’
Ben Sato has been dishing out 400 free hot meals a day from his restaurant called Grub to locals still without power
‘From the two hurricanes, we’ve done at least 4,000. We’ve done brisket, pulled pork, today it was ribs,’ said Sato. ‘Around lunch time it gets crazy. I pay for it, people need help’
Close to the historic Anna Maria City Pier, built in 1912 and destroyed by Helene, 40-year-old entrepreneur Ben Sato has been dishing out 400 free hot meals a day from his restaurant called Grub to locals still without power.
‘From the two hurricanes, we’ve done at least 4,000. We’ve done brisket, pulled pork, today it was ribs. Around lunch time it gets crazy. I pay for it, people need help.’
Sato plowed his savings into the smart diner which opened more than two years ago after a career opening hotel restaurants. He has no plans to leave Anna Maria.
‘Of course some people are now going to think they should sell up right away,’ he said. ‘But I think when things calm down many more will decide to stay.’
In stunning Casey Key, an eight-mile long barrier enclave south of Siesta Key, giant earth movers shift unbelievable quantity of sand that engulfed the homes as part of Helene’s storm surge. Milton’s winds administered the coup de grace with roof and other structural damage.
Only a few residents were in the exclusive enclave’s 450 houses when DailyMail.com visited – so many were uninhabitable and will be for months to come. Sheriff’s deputies guard the entrance to the island, closely vetting those who attempt to cross.
At the Gulf Surf Inn, sand is half way up to the external doors of the bedrooms. The business’s buildings are shattered, roofs crushed, walls blown away.
One bedroom overlooking the gulf lies completely open.
Like Anna Maria, the march of the McMansion is relentless with many still in the construction stage. Only the scale here is even bigger. Amid the mega-homes constructed to withstand hurricanes, much smaller houses built 50 years ago lie in their shadow. And many suffered accordingly.
At one, a car was blown or moved by storm surge at a crazy angle to smash through a garage door, then become marooned by sand.
Nearby, a magnificent older house on the shoreline appears to be just a shell, Helene having washed straight through it. Piles of debris surround the building still.
Former horse trainer Nancy Waite, 58, arrived with her 82-year-old mother Jill Montgomery at the beautiful home her parents bought 35 years ago
At the Gulf Surf Inn, sand is half way up to the external doors of the bedrooms. The business’s buildings are shattered, roofs crushed and its walls blown away
One bedroom overlooking the gulf at the Gulf Surf Inn is completely open
Former horse trainer Nancy Waite, 58, arrived with her 82-year-old mother Jill Montgomery at the beautiful home her parents bought 35 years ago. Her mom escaped the worst with Helene but, like nearly everyone on Casey Key, fled for Milton.
Shortly after they drew up to inspect the home after the second hurricane, Waite said of her mom: ‘I do think she might be considering leaving. She’s maybe had enough of hurricanes.’
Waite’s own home in Siesta Key was badly flooded by Helene but she is adamant she wants to stay in Florida – despite knowing that plans to raise her house above storm surge threat would cost up to $3million.
‘We have four feet of water and the house is gutted,’ she told DailyMail.com. We lost pretty much everything, including three cars. So Helene certainly did its thing. Before Milton we’d already ripped out the cabinets, the flooring and taken the walls down to the studs.
‘You know, maybe my initial thought was to leave Florida. But I’m not going to. Although it could take two years to sort out my house.’
Shortly after they drew up to inspect the home after the second hurricane, Waite said of her mom: ‘I do think she might be considering leaving. She’s maybe had enough of hurricanes’
David Wilborn has lived with the hurricane threat for decades. Stopping his golf cart to talk, he revealed the first floor of his elderly mother Nancy’s 1950s beachfront mansion was destroyed by storm surge and sand
Coming from an old Casey Key family, David Wilborn has lived with the hurricane threat for decades. Stopping his golf cart to talk, he revealed the first floor of his elderly mother Nancy’s 1950s beachfront mansion was destroyed by storm surge and sand.
‘The boulders that are meant to hold the beach in place were simply tossed through the house, they went through the doors, through the hurricane shutters, everything,’ he said.
‘We boarded it up after Helene, when there was four feet of water gushing through – but with Milton it just went through again.’
Wilborn, 55, and his family own seven properties on the key, said the house is insured for $16million. But the deductible is $850,000 – the astonishing price of ‘paradise’.