DAVIS ISLANDS, Fla. (WFLA) — Hurricane season is here again, and several across Tampa Bay are still recovering from last season’s storms.
For one couple on Davis Islands, the memories of floodwaters, loss, and starting over are still fresh.
In 2021, John and Julie Fillingim relocated to Davis Islands, not anticipating that a hurricane could ever inundate their street, much less breach their living room. However, the hurricane season soon revealed how swiftly circumstances can change.
“Helene was the one that affected us,” John explained. “We had been chatting with longtime residents of the island that day, and they assured us, ‘Oh, don’t worry about it. Davis Islands never floods. It hasn’t in a century,’ and we believed that too readily.”
The couple stayed until water crawled up to their front door, then knew they had to leave.
“We stayed until around 9:30 p.m. when the water reached our front door, and that’s when we decided to leave using my truck,” he recalled. “We managed to drive out with about 3 feet of water near TGH.”
When they returned, they couldn’t even drive onto Davis Islands. The damage was already done. The floodwaters had shifted their entire home around.
“We got here, and the outside lights were on,” Julie said. “So, we’re like, well, maybe it’s not so bad. And then we opened this door.”
Inside, the waterline was proof of what they lost. The couple grabbed brooms and started pushing water out of the house.
“It was devastating. We just opened all the doors and got brooms and started pushing out.”
They weren’t alone.
“Everybody had everything they had, including us, on the curb,” Julie recalled. “And it was complete devastation.”
The storm’s impact was more than physical.
“I have never been afraid of hurricanes in my life until now,” John said.
Through it all, Julie said she’s holding onto what really matters, wearing a tank top that read, “Never give up.”
“Never give up,” she said. “We’ve been through a lot, and no matter what happens, we’re never going to give up.”
Now, the Fillingims said they will evacuate early and urge their new neighbors to take hurricane season seriously.
