SUNSET BEACH, Fla. — Saturday marks the two-year anniversary of Hurricane Helene, a storm that left its mark here on the Tampa Bay area, leaving widespread damage.
Two years later, some business owners and homeowners have been able to build back.
Some becoming even more resilient than before. Including those in the Sunset Beach community on Treasure Island.
Many homes and businesses were damaged because of storm surge. But for some, like resident Hendrik Bisanz, it was an opportunity to not just build back, but build up.
“It’s done in a way that I feel very confident that I have a house that will survive another hurricane,” Bisanz said while standing in his backyard, eyeing his elevated home.
His house has not always looked the way it does now. Steel beams and pillars are just the latest additions to his home. Additions made after what Hurricane Helene left behind.
“We had pretty much four feet of water, as did everybody that has a house on the ground floor, throughout the entire home,” Bisanz said. “It was just a mess, you know?”
Bisanz recalls the day the storm made landfall, with water from the bay creeping up to his swimming pool.
“I took a dip into the pool knowing I wouldn’t be able to use it for a while before it hit,” he said. “Then I got out of it and just saw how the water had risen so much in so little time and, suddenly, I kind of panicked.”
But Bisanz already had a plan in place for after the storm. One that involved raising his home.
“Typically, they would push the house up a little bit and then put the steel grid underneath it later,” he said. “They had to do that while the house was in its original position. So they dug around like tunnels underneath the home, put it all in place and then lifted the house up with the steel in place.”
It took three days to raise his home. But now, seeing the finished product, it’s a decision Bisanz says he’s grateful he made.
“Our views have improved,” he added. “Now we basically get the sunset in one way and still have the water like we did before.”
Improved views and an added sense of security. Bisanz called it a game-changer in being prepared for the next storm.
As for the timeline of repairing his home, Bisanz says it took about a year to finish. Originally, the project was expected to take 120 days. But because of demand from other homeowners, that timeline was pushed further back.
“We experienced water coming in almost every year, which is also why I had already signed my elevations contract before the major hurricane,” he said. “But now, having it up, it’s a game changer.”