INDIAN ROCKS BEACH, Fla. — The owners of an Indian Rocks Beach home damaged during Hurricanes Helene and Milton recently made the decision to tear it down and start over.
What You Need To Know
Homeowners Mary Frances and Chris Gorman say it was a bittersweet decision on how to move forward after the storms
Before demolition began, the Gormans took one final moment inside the house describing what it was like when Hurricane Helene hit
It was decided that tearing down and rebuilding the house was a better option than trying to repair it
Homeowners Mary Frances and Chris Gorman say it was a bittersweet decision on how to move forward after the storms.
“It’s hard, it’s definitely hard seeing it getting destroyed,” Chris Gorman said of their home of eight years being torn down.
“Honestly, I’m starting to tear up a little bit,” Mary Frances Gorman said.
“There was a lot of memories in this house,” Chris said. “And it was a great house — and it was where we first brought our firstborn home. And we’ve just experienced a lot of great memories here.”
Before demolition began, the Gormans took one final moment inside their home, and described what it was like when Hurricane Helene hit.
“Pulling your 1-year-old out of her crib when the water is that close to getting in, I mean gives you a different perspective certainly,” said Mary Frances.
It was that perspective that compelled the couple to move forward the way they are.
“There’s so much damage, from the top to the bottom,” said Chris. “It definitely makes more sense to start anew.”
“We are currently demolishing this house because it was more economical to raze this house to the ground, or to eliminate it, and build a new house back up at flood-plane level,” said Tommy Whitehead, president and CEO of TOMCO Solutions.
“Building something that is going to be safety-wise where we know it needs to be,” said Mary Frances. “It’s not a question of if, it’s when the next storm comes, and what it’s going to be. And you want to make sure you do everything possible to withstand it.”
Whitehead said the process of tearing down and rebuilding a home can be challenging.
“There’s been quite a few challenges here,” he said. “Navigating FEMA, navigating SBA loans and lending, navigating permitting and then the homeowners have to do a lot of research because this is a major financial impact to them and their family.”
Even a year later, families like the Gormans are still feeling the impact of the storms in a variety of ways.
“There’s the pre-storm, and then there’s post-storm, and I want to get beyond and start enjoying and living again, because we just haven’t been,” Mary Frances said.