Tens of thousands of properties in the Tampa Bay region were damaged or completely destroyed as Hurricane Helene tore through Florida's Gulf Coast, where some homes ended up submerged in several feet of water, reports WUSF. "It's overwhelming and it's devastating," Marie Rowley, who lives in the Shore Acres section of St. Petersburg and saw all her belongings wrecked, tells FOX 13. But although Rowley says she wants to rebuild, plenty of others in her neighborhood are contemplating ditching their homes, citing an uptick in severe weather and spiking home insurance rates in the Sunshine State, per the Wall Street Journal.
- One local's story: "We flooded here four times in the last four years," resident Kellen Driscoll tells the paper after Helene spurred a 6-foot storm surge to flood his neighborhood, ruining his stuff and prompting him to lower the asking price for the fifth time on the home he's had for sale since the spring. "I'm just hoping I can sell."
- Relocation heaven or hell? The Journal notes that in recent years, there's been an explosion of people moving to the Tampa Bay area, especially young people "looking for a coastal lifestyle at a relatively affordable price." But now, those in low-lying communities that are prone to repeat flooding have had it, and they want out—except they're finding it hard in some cases to dump their real estate. Data shows that about half of the for-sale homes in the region have seen a price drop as of Sept. 9, the third highest share out of all major US cities.
- Insurance issues: Rates have skyrocketed in Florida, with Grist reporting that Shore Acres residents may soon be paying a median annual premium for flood insurance alone of $5,000—among the highest in the nation. Local Jacob McFadden tells the Journal he was paying just $880 a year for home insurance when he bought his property in 2020; now he's forking over $3,300, a nearly fourfold increase.
- Fixes: Shore Acres, which sometimes floods now even when it's not raining, has tried to mitigate the incessant water issues, including by installing devices that keep storm drains from overflowing and putting plans in place for a $16 million pump station, per Grist. Residents are also coordinating with city officials to expedite grant programs that will allow them to raise their homes, with stilts or otherwise, off the ground. But that's not enough for some locals. "It's just a really sad situation," Domonique Tomlinson says. "We won't rebuild, it's not worth it."
Read more locals' stories
here and
here. (More
Florida stories.)
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
