This browser does not support the Video element.
Recovery after last year's hurricanes
Kimberly Kuizon reports.
BRADENTON, Fla. - It's been one year since Hurricanes Helene and Milton, and there is still visible damage across Manatee County. In some cases, families are still working to recover.
As they try to hold onto hope, Manatee County is working to start programs that could bring much-needed relief and even give them a chance to get back home.
READ: Casey Key business reflects one year after Hurricanes Helene, Milton: ‘We are back’
Local perspective:
Waiting for their number to be called, friends and lifelong neighbors gather for weekly bingo at the Rubonia Community Center.
"I was born and raised here in Rubonia. I am 80 plus years here. Very interested in what goes on in this community," said Mary Brown.
Each ball pulled is a distraction from the reality Brown and others have been living with for the past year. Hurricane Helene brought around five feet of water to her family home.
MORE: From dishwasher to owner: Beloved North Redington Beach café reopens after Hurricane Helene
"I'm here, and I’m looking for a way to come back to Rubonia, but I’m not able to borrow a large sum of money to come back, but I know there is a way," she told FOX 13.
No home here was spared.
"My grandmama left this to me and it's my little shanty. This is where I Iived until the storm came," said Ethelene Lawton.
Lawton has gone from her son's home to her sister's place.
READ: Beachcomber Resort, Jimmy B's Beach Bar to reopen in October
"I feel bad. I want to go home. I miss home," she said.
Lawton thought for sure, she'd be back in her home by now. She told FOX 13's Kimberly Kuizon that she had flood insurance, but when asked what they've done for her, she responded, "Nothing yet. They gave me a little, but it's not enough to do anything big."
Why you should care:
Manatee County hopes to eventually turn their luck around and give residents like those in Rubonia a way to get back home.
"It can be heartbreaking. Regularly I get contact from people who want to learn about my program, but I am needing to lead them where they are at. They’ve got tens of thousands of dollars in damages that are still unmet. They are unsure where they can turn," said Odugo Ohizu, the communications coordinator for "Lasting Manatee."
"Part of my job at this current stage is keeping awareness of what we have in the community for other resources," said Ohizu.
MORE: Nearly a year after Hurricane Helene, Blue Ridge Parkway reopens near Asheville, North Carolina
Manatee County has received nearly $253 million in Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery Funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to help with damages from the 2024 hurricane season.
"We like to keep optimistic knowing we are doing everything we can to try and get funding in places as soon as possible," said Ohizu.
By early 2026, Lasting Manatee programs should open to residents still dealing with hurricane repairs. Funds will be focused towards low-and moderate-income households.
"As we approach the launch of my program, we will be doing direct outreach. We are looking at areas that were heavily flooded. We are looking at Rubonia, any of our low to moderate income areas. We will be giving special attention too. With my program, we are making sure that we will be having housing repair, replacement programs, as well as putting money to improve drainage, retention ponds to make sure if another storm comes we won’t have the same damage," said Ohizu.
What they're saying:
Brown can only wait.
"We will try to redo this whole thing. It will cost another 100,000 dollars to get this all redone," she said.
READ: Davis Islands firefighters serving from trailers as rebuild stalls after Hurricane Helene
As she and Lawton continue to wait for any assistance to get back home.
"Hope to be right back in here one day. I just need help," said Lawton.
What you can do:
To find out more information and to be put on a notification list for Lasting Manatee, click here.
The Source: Information was gathered by FOX 13's Kimberly Kuizon through residents still working to recover in Manatee County.