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SEMINOLE, Fla. (WFLA) — Friday marks one year since Hurricane Helene struck the Bay Area, with the storm surge damaging thousands of homes.
On Thursday morning, volunteers spent the day helping to rebuild one of the homes impacted.
Approximately 50 volunteers gathered in Seminole to assist a family still grappling with the aftermath of last year’s storms by painting and doing yard work.
The Bharath family expresses their gratitude for the community’s assistance in dealing with the extensive damage caused by consecutive hurricanes.
“Honestly, I would never want to live through that again,” said Nisa Bharath.
Nisa Bharath and her family have lived in their Seminole home for 27 years, she said the worst night they experienced was when Hurricane Milton hit.
“It truly felt like a freight train was barreling towards us—absolutely terrifying. The doors were just pounding incessantly. The windows, being very thin, made the noise unbelievably frightening,” she recounted.
To help them recover, three organizations are coming together: Rebuilding Together Greater Florida, Webull, and the Tampa Bay Rays.
“Even though a year has passed, the damage remains. This family has faced an ongoing struggle to rebuild for over a year. They have experienced both internal and external damage,” stated Lance Lee, VP of Operations at Rebuilding Together.
Both Nisa and her husband have health issues which have prevented them from getting everything done.
To help make their home, home again, the volunteers are putting their gloves on to help pull weeds, paint and do yardwork.
“I think it’s the best thing you can do and there’s no greater impact than making sure someone has a safe and healthy home,” Lee said.
“It starts today and I’m just so grateful, it’s just so amazing that they’re here to help us with all the volunteers,” Bharath said.
Their experience is not unique in Tampa Bay. According to Rebuilding Together, nearly 10,000 homes were identified as severely damaged following last year’s hurricanes.
“We have impacted thousands of homes since the hurricanes hit and we plan to impact thousands more moving forward,” said Lee.
For people like the Bharath’s, the teamwork of these organizations coming together makes all the difference.
“It’s unbelievable that the community is going to come out and just help this one family in Seminole,” she said.
The efforts won’t conclude in just one day; later this month, Rebuilding Together plans to return to the home to replace windows, refurbish drywall, and install slip-resistant tiles.
If you or your family are in need of help and Rebuilding Together’s resources, click here.