Hurricane Helene left destruction and devastation in its wake, displacing thousands of people with their homes flooded out by historic storm surges in Florida, record rains in Georgia and overflowing and rampaging rivers in the Carolinas and other states.
Some of those displacements and rebuilding processes could take months to complete.
On top of all the storm’s physical tolls, lost property, destroyed homes, appliances and cars, those left homeless by Helene have been challenged to find new temporary housing to live in while they regroup and rebuild.
In Florida, 12 officers with Tampa Police Department lost their homes to Helene’s storm surge floods, said Brandon Barclay, president of the Tampa Police Benevolent Association law enforcement union.
Barclay said two of the TPD officers are married and the police union is raising money for the 11 displaced households to help them replace appliances, cars, clothing and to pay for new temporary housing while keeping up with mortgage payments even as they look for new short-term housing.