Dick and Fran Powers are weeks from returning home after Helene and Milton destroyed their South Tampa house — a story shared by many still rebuilding.
TAMPA, Fla. — As hurricane season officially started today, Dick Powers and his wife Fran Taylor Powers are weeks away from moving back into their South Tampa home for the first time since it was leveled nearly two years ago.
A milestone that has felt anything but certain.
“Our home was destroyed in September of 2024. Just absolutely demolished,” Dick Powers said.
The couple, married 42 years, are among a significant number of families who have yet to return to their homes following Hurricanes Helene and Milton, two storms that made back-to-back landfall in the fall of 2024 and caused historic destruction across the Tampa Bay region. The Powers expect to occupy their newly constructed residence within the next 60 days.
Asked whether it has felt like two years, Powers did not hesitate.
“You bet it does,” he said.
What should have been a three-month permitting and paperwork process stretched to six, Powers said, citing the sheer volume of destruction across the city. Redesigns for their Sunset Park home compounded the delays as contractors and municipal offices struggled to keep pace with demand.
The couple ultimately received close to $180,000 through a combination of flood insurance and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) assistance to fund the rebuild. Powers said the experience has made him an outspoken advocate for flood coverage, noting that a majority of his neighbors were uninsured against flooding.
“If you do not purchase flood insurance, and 70% of our neighbors did not purchase flood insurance, that’ll probably cost you $40,000,” he said.
Insurance professionals echo that warning, urging homeowners to use the start of hurricane season to conduct a policy review, document possessions, photograph property, record serial numbers and gather any materials that would be needed to support a future insurance claim.
For those who have lived through catastrophic loss, whether that was both of their cars in the storm, family photos or letters from loved ones washed away, the Powers offer blunt counsel.
“During your lifetime, something significantly major is going to happen to you or your family,” Dick Powers said. “You can’t boo-hoo. You just have to say: ‘What do we have to do to get this fixed.'”
Beyond insurance, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recommends that households begin hurricane season with disaster supplies already assembled. NOAA guidelines call for non-perishable food, water and medication sufficient to sustain each family member for a minimum of three days, as well as extra cash, a battery-powered radio and flashlights.
The 2026 Atlantic hurricane season runs through Nov. 30.