- November 18, 2024
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Walking around the Village, one of Longboat Key’s lowest-lying areas, reminders of Hurricane Helene’s damage were everywhere.
Piles of water-logged wooden furniture, mattresses, photo albums and rolled-up rugs lined the streets five days after the storm passed.
Chris Udermann and his wife, Susan, worked hard the Tuesday after Helene. The pair spent the day sorting through damaged belongings and ripping damp drywall.
In what used to be a bedroom, Chris Udermann sorted through plastic totes filled with old sports memorabilia he saved over the years. An autographed Minnesota Twins scorebook from a 1980s training camp was among the soaked sports papers.
This wasn’t their first time doing this, but it was the worst storm damage they've seen.
“This is starting to become not fun, the tradeoff of living in paradise but battling storms,” an exhausted Chris Udermann said. “But we’ll rebuild and hope for the best.”
Having owned a house in one of the lowest-lying areas on the island since 2005, Udermann said he knew it was a race against time — more so a race against mold — to start the clean-up process.
The day after Hurricane Helene passed Longboat Key, Chris and Susan Udermann knew they needed to return to their home, but the only way was by boat. A friend gave them a ride.
Going past Cortez, the couple saw a boat lodged in the Tide Tables restaurant. Chris Udermann said that’s when he feared the worst for Longboat Key.
Then they saw their house.
They weren't expecting this much damage but had a sense of urgency when first seeing their house.
The line of dirt stood out on the outside of their bright yellow home, marking where the water came up to from Helene’s storm surge. Inside, the Udermanns realized there had been about 3 feet of standing water in their house.
Before they evacuated north to St. Petersburg, the Udermanns did everything they could to prepare their house for the storm.
This meant sandbags, shutters, raising furniture off the ground and strong tarps up to about 2 feet along the exterior of their house. But when the Udermanns returned to their home, they realized not much of that preparation had mattered.
Heavy furniture like a couch and fireplace didn’t stand a chance against Helene. Like other furniture, those pieces were knocked off the risers and thrown around the house — an indication that the water rose so high in the house that the furniture had been floating.
“Been living the good life, until now,” Chris Udermann said. “But we’ve rebuilt before, we’ll rebuild again.”
The pair knew it was important to rip out the wet drywall up to the water line inside their home. When Hurricane Idalia hit Longboat Key with a less intense storm surge, the Udermanns had similar water damage.
That time they did the same, ripping out soggy drywall to prevent mold. The repairs last year after Idalia in August lasted until around Christmas time last year, about 3-4 months.
This time after Helene, it will probably take longer than that.
The Udermanns evacuated north to St. Petersburg for Helene because they realize the importance of heeding the town’s evacuation orders.
“When they tell us to leave, we leave,” Chris Udermann said.
In the past, it was usually a sigh of relief when they returned home, seeing minimal damage. Except for Idalia, and now, Helene.
Although there was substantial damage to the house’s interior and the Udermanns’ belongings, Chris and Sarah Udermann were happy with their decision to evacuate.
“It’s just stuff.,” Chris Udermann said. “Everybody’s alive.”
The Monday after Helene was the first day the two were able to drive onto the island. Then, the only way to get onto the island was through the south end.
Coming to the island that way, they drove past other neighborhoods wrecked by Helene, like homes on Gulfside Road and others mid-Key.
Chris Udermann said, in terms of flooding and damage, this was the worst storm he’s seen on Longboat Key.
On Tuesday, about five days after Helene’s path swiped Longboat Key, the Udermanns were still without power. But Susan Udermann said some of their neighbors had power.
In times like this, Chris Udermann said having proper insurance and asking for help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency are crucial. Someone really can’t live on Longboat without insurance, he said.
Times like this can also be seen as a learning experience, the Udermanns said. Though there’s a lot of damage to deal with, it’s important to know how much preparation is needed for major flooding, as well as the proper post-storm methods.
Despite the difficult sights of Helene, the Udermanns still enjoy living in what they call paradise, and they hope storms like this don’t deter the community’s growth.
“We hope it doesn’t scare anyone away from living here,” Chris Udermann said.
