Florida communities hit three times by hurricanes grapple with how and whether to rebuild

HORSESHOE BEACH, Fla. (AP) — It was just a month ago that Brooke Hiers left the state-issued emergency trailer where her family had lived since Hurricane Idalia slammed into her Gulf Coast fishing village of Horseshoe Beach in August 2023.

Hiers and her husband Clint were still finishing the electrical work in the home they painstakingly rebuilt themselves, wiping out Clint’s savings to do so. They never will finish that wiring job.

Hurricane Helene blew their newly renovated home off its four foot-high pilings, sending it floating into the neighbor’s yard next door.

“You always think, ‘Oh, there’s no way it can happen again’,” Hiers said. “I don’t know if anybody’s ever experienced this in the history of hurricanes.”

For the third time in 13 months, this windswept stretch of Florida’s Big Bend took a direct hit from a hurricane — a one-two-three punch to a 50-mile (80-kilometer) sliver of the state’s more than 8,400 miles (13,500 kilometers) of coastline, first by Idalia, then Category 1 Hurricane Debby in August 2024 and now Helene.

Hiers, who sits on Horseshoe Beach’s town council, said words like “unbelievable” are beginning to lose their meaning.

“I’ve tried to use them all. Catastrophic. Devastating. Heartbreaking … none of that explains what happened here,” Hiers said.

The back-to-back hits to Florida’s Big Bend are forcing residents to reckon with the true costs of living in an area under siege by storms that researchers say are becoming stronger because of climate change.

The Hiers, like many others here, can’t afford homeowner’s insurance on their flood-prone houses, even if it was available. Residents who have watched their life savings get washed away multiple times are left with few choices — leave the communities where their families have lived for generations, pay tens of thousands of dollars to rebuild their houses on stilts as building codes require, or move into a recreational vehicle they can drive out of harm’s way.

That’s if they can afford any of those things. The storm left many residents bunking with family or friends, sleeping in their cars, or sheltering in what’s left of their collapsing homes.

Janalea England wasn't waiting for outside organizations to get aid to her friends and neighbors, turning her commercial fish market in the river town of Steinhatchee into a pop-up donation distribution center, just like she did after Hurricane Idalia. A row of folding tables was stacked with water, canned food, diapers, soap, clothes and shoes, a steady stream of residents coming and going.

“I’ve never seen so many people homeless as what I have right now. Not in my community,” England said. “They have nowhere to go.”

The sparsely populated Big Bend is known for its towering pine forests and pristine salt marshes that disappear into the horizon, a remote stretch of largely undeveloped coastline that’s mostly dodged the crush of condos, golf courses and souvenir strip malls that has carved up so much of the Sunshine State.

This is a place where teachers, mill workers and housekeepers could still afford to live within walking distance of the Gulf’s white sand beaches. Or at least they used to, until a third successive hurricane blew their homes apart.

Helene was so destructive, many residents don’t have a home left to clean up, escaping the storm with little more than the clothes on their backs, even losing their shoes to the surging tides.

“People didn’t even have a Christmas ornament to pick up or a plate from their kitchen,” Hiers said. “It was just gone.”

In a place where people are trying to get away from what they see as government interference, England, who organized her own donation site, isn’t putting her faith in government agencies and insurance companies.

“FEMA didn’t do much,” she said. “They lost everything with Idalia and they were told, ‘here, you can have a loan.’ I mean, where’s our tax money going then?”

England’s sister, Lorraine Davis, got a letter in the mail just days before Helene hit declaring that her insurance company was dropping her, with no explanation other than her home “fails to meet underwriting”.

Living on a fixed income, Davis has no idea how she’ll repair the long cracks that opened up in the ceiling of her trailer after the last storm.

“We'll all be on our own,” England said. “We're used to it.”

In the surreal aftermath of this third hurricane, some residents don’t have the strength to clean up their homes again, not with other storms still brewing in the Gulf.

With marinas washed away, restaurants collapsed and vacation homes blown apart, many commercial fishermen, servers and housecleaners lost their homes and their jobs on the same day.

Those who worked at the local sawmill and paper mill, two bedrock employers in the area, were laid off in the past year too. Now a convoy of semi-trucks full of hurricane relief supplies have set up camp at the shuttered mill in the city of Perry.

Hud Lilliott was a mill worker for 28 years, before losing his job and now his canal-front home in Dekle Beach, just down the street from the house where he grew up.

Lilliott and his wife Laurie hope to rebuild their house there, but they don’t know how they’ll pay for it. And they’re worried the school in Steinhatchee where Laurie teaches first grade could become another casualty of the storm, as the county watches its tax base float away.

“We've worked our whole lives and we're so close to where they say the ‘golden years’," Laurie said. "It's like you can see the light and it all goes dark.”

Dave Beamer rebuilt his home in Steinhatchee after it was “totaled” by Hurricane Idalia, only to see it washed into the marsh a year later.

“I don’t think I can do that again,” Beamer said. “Everybody’s changing their mind about how we’re going to live here.”

A waterlogged clock in a shed nearby shows the moment when time stopped, marking before Helene and after.

Beamer plans to stay in this river town, but put his home on wheels — buying a camper and building a pole barn to park it under.

In Horseshoe Beach, Hiers is waiting for a makeshift town hall to be delivered in the coming days, a double-wide trailer where they’ll offer what services they can for as long as they can. She and her husband are staying with their daughter, a 45-minute drive away.

“You feel like this could be the end of things as you knew it. Of your town. Of your community,” Hiers said. “We just don't even know how to recover at this point.”

Hiers said she and her husband will probably buy an RV and park it where their home once stood. But they won't be moving back to Horseshoe Beach for good until this year's storms are done.

They can't bear to do this again.

Kate Payne is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

Maddie Kelley shows the high-water line left behind by Hurricane Helene on a seashell windchime at her family's home in Steinhatchee, Fla., Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Kate Payne)

The sun sets over the storm-damaged Steinhatchee marina near where the Steinhatchee River flows into the Gulf of Mexico, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in the aftermath of Hurricane Helen. (AP Photo/Kate Payne) Kate Payne Reporter, State Government Education Tallahassee, FL C 850.545.4283 kpayne@ap.or

The sun sets over a flooded road and a collapsed building in Steinhatchee, Fla., Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. (AP Photo/Kate Payne

Dave Beamer walks past the partially destroyed trailer he's been living in, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Steinhatchee, Fla., after Hurricane Helene washed his home into a marsh. (AP Photo/Kate Payne)

Dave Beamer surveys debris left behind by Hurricane Helene along his street in Steinhatchee, Fla., Sunday. Sept. 29, 2024. Beamer had just rebuilt his home in the wake of Hurricane Idalia in August 2023, before Helene washed it into a marsh. (AP Photo/Kate Payne)

Brooke Hiers surveys the damage done to her home, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024, in Horseshoe Beach, Fla., in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. Hiers and her husband rebuilt the home in the wake of Hurricane Idalia, which washed ashore in August, 2023, only to see it destroyed by another storm 13 months later. (AP Photo/Kate Payne)

Brooke Hiers stands in front of where her home used to sit in Horseshoe Beach, Fla., Monday, Sept. 30, 2024, in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. She and her husband had just rebuilt the home after Hurricane Idalia hit in August, 2023, before Hurricane Helene blew the house off its pilings and floated it into the neighbor's yard next door. (AP Photo/Kate Payne)

A waterlogged clock hangs a shed, Sunday, Sept 29, 2024, in Steinhatchee, Fla., in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. (AP Photo/Kate Payne)

Leslie and J.D. High hold photos they found in the debris that Hurricane Helene left near their home in Dekle Beach in rural Taylor County, Fla., Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. Among the photos was a polaroid showing damage from a storm known as the "Storm of the Century" that hit the area in March, 1993. (AP Photo/Kate Payne)

Laurie Lilliott stands amid the wreckage of her destroyed home in Dekle Beach in rural Taylor County, Fla., Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. (AP Photo/Kate Payne)

ROME (AP) — George Clooney’s villa is a 20-minute drive up the lake shore road from Como’s stadium.

Kate Beckinsale was a spectator in the stands last weekend.

Celebrity spottings and weddings have long been a pastime on Italy’s famous lake, which is known for its majestic views of the Alps.

Now there’s another reason to visit: The local soccer team is making rapid progress in its first season back in the top division in more than two decades.

Since Indonesian tobacco billionaire brothers Roberto Budi Hartono and Michael Bambang Hartono purchased the club five years ago in Serie D, the club has also been attracting soccer celebrities.

Como coach Cesc Fabregas and former France striker Thierry Henry — both World Cup winners and former teammates at Arsenal — are minority owners.

“We chose to invest in Como because investing exclusively in soccer comes with unpredictable risks,” said Mirwan Suwarso, who manages Como for the Hartonos. “Here we’re relying on a brand: We want to make this the top soccer tourism destination in the world.”

The heavy foreign investment has attracted a mix of well-known veteran players and rising prospects.

Veterans such as former Liverpool and Napoli goalkeeper Pepe Reina and former Barcelona captain Sergi Roberto. Plus former France and Real Madrid center back Raphael Varane, who then decided to retire but plans to remain with the club in another role.

Alberto Moreno, a 32-year-old left back, has played every minute of the opening six Serie A matches after signing as a free agent in July after leaving Villarreal — having previously played for Liverpool.

Then there’s Nico Paz, a 20-year-old attacking midfielder signed from Real Madrid; and Alieu Fadera, 22-year-old Gambian winger signed from Genk.

Add in Como-born striker Patrick Cutrone (formerly of AC Milan), who is tied atop the league scoring chart with four goals in six games, and it’s clear that there’s a mix of players not usually seen at a promoted club.

“Como is the revelation of the season,” Napoli coach Antonio Conte said before the Serie A leader hosts Como on Friday.

In Como’s last three matches, it held Champions League side Bologna to 2-2, won at Champions League side Atalanta 3-2 and beat Hellas Verona 3-2 to move into the top half of the table in 10th.

“The ambitions are high,” Cutrone said. “But the first objective remains avoiding relegation. Then we’ll see about the rest.”

The club is collaborating with Lake Como Tourism to help attract more visitors to the area. Already 40% of Como’s tickets are being purchased by foreigners.

“But we also wanted to award our most devoted fans who have been season-ticket holders since Como was in Serie C,” Suwarso said in Corriere della Sera. “For them, we haven’t increased the ticket prices from last season.”

Visiting the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona will be extra special for Fabregas, who will be facing one of his former coaches.

Fabregas played under Conte for two seasons at Chelsea. They won the English Premier League together the first year and the FA Cup the second season.

But before the trophies came, Conte told Fabregas when he arrived in London that he might want to think about finding another club because the coach didn’t anticipate using him much.

“It was the first time in my career, or maybe in my life, that someone had said something like that to me,” Fabregas said this week, adding he took the message as motivation to work harder.

“And after four months I was playing all the time,” Fabregas said. “He made me suffer in training. I learned a ton from him. It was a different method — a type of soccer I had never experienced before. Now I use his teachings when things get tough. He taught me a lot and I thank him for that.”

Conte added, “I always thought he could be a coach. He was curious and was always trying to learn.”

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Como's Patrick Cutrone plays the ball following the Serie A soccer match between Atalanta and Como at the Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo, Italy, Tuesday, Sept. 24 , 2024. (Spada/LaPresse via AP)

Como's Cesc Fabregas smiles following the Serie A soccer match between Atalanta and Como at the Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo, Italy, Tuesday, Sept. 24 , 2024. (Spada/LaPresse via AP)

Como's Gabriel Strefezza celebrates after scoring during the Serie A soccer match between Atalanta and Como at the Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo, Italy, Tuesday, Sept. 24 , 2024. (Spada/LaPresse via AP)

Como's Patrick Cutrone kisses the jersey as he celebrates scoring during a Serie A soccer match between Como and Verona at the Giuseppe Sinigaglia stadium in Como, northern Italy, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024.(Antonio Saia/LaPresse via AP)

Como's Andrea Belotti celebrates scoring during a Serie A soccer match between Como and Verona at the Giuseppe Sinigaglia stadium in Como, northern Italy, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024.(Antonio Saia/LaPresse via AP)

Como's Nico Paz, right, and Sergi Roberto celebrate after Paz scored during the Serie A soccer match between Atalanta and Como at the Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo, Italy, Tuesday, Sept. 24 , 2024. (Spada/LaPresse via AP)

Como's Cesc Fabregas is congratulated following the Serie A soccer match between Atalanta and Como at the Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo, Italy, Tuesday, Sept. 24 , 2024. (Spada/LaPresse via AP)

Como's Patrick Cutrone celebrates scoring during a Serie A soccer match between Como and Verona at the Giuseppe Sinigaglia stadium in Como, northern Italy, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024.(Antonio Saia/LaPresse via AP)