FLORIDA, USA — Families' homes filled with water in minutes as Hurricane Helene's wrath engulfed many coastal communities. Turning the sunshine state dark.
"We walked out before it came in the whole house, but it was just probably a big pool here," said Harry Quintero of Davis Islands.
Newswatch 16 met Harry Quintero, who had thrown most of his belongings out on the curb like many in his Davis Island neighborhood. All of it was destroyed by the storm.
"Basically, our whole life here right in front of you, all the furniture is lost. Thank God we have insurance. We'll see what happens there, but we think it's a total loss," said Quintero.
As residents began cleaning up the mess, authorities started reopening communities that had been shut down for several days. On Tuesday, members of the Florida Army National Guard passed out food to residents returning to the barrier islands.
"We have no transportation, we have nothing. Thank God for my neighbor for bringing me over here so we can get some water," said Evelyn Chwerin of Barrier Islands.
Officials in Pinellas County estimate that Hurricane Helene caused more than $2 billion worth of damage to residential areas.
On Wednesday, the Federal Emergency Management Agency set up a disaster recovery center to try and give business owners like Anne Lopez a fighting chance.
"We are a seasonal business. The good news is that it's kind of a slower season. We had guests coming in, but we got to be up and running by January, February. We've got to be up and running and so we need assistance quickly," said Lopez.
Helene is now considered one of the most devastating storms in Florida history.
"We've lived here since 1964 and never experienced anything like this," said Molly Lea of Clearwater.
More than 200 members of the Salvation Army worship center in Clearwater took a break from the tragedy on Thursday morning to pray for the area's recovery.
"We have friends who are coming who have lost a lot of things. They've lost things in their garages, some of their homes. They are still coming today to pray, and it's something we are very thankful for and will be a blessed time for all," said Major Ted Morris, Clearwater Salvation Army.
Over the last few days, Newswatch 16 has seen just some of the devastation left behind by Hurricane Helene in the Tampa Bay area. While we will no longer report on the ground, the recovery efforts will continue for months.