- March 14, 2025
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Losing access to a home is no easy matter, as Spanish Main Yacht Club residents Sue and Tom Reese well know. But at this point in the recovery from Hurricane Helene and its accompanying storms, they say residents have to seek out hope and moments of positive progress.
The Reeses are just some of the Longboat Key residents who are still waiting to return to their homes after the October storms devastated low-lying areas on the Key. The pair took the time recently to walk about the skeleton of their house, which was almost completely cleared out after mold attacked the drywall and other exposed areas.
Sue walked through, pointing between the beams to bedrooms and bathrooms, where only some tile and a few mirrors remained of the decorations.
She gazed at the living room, pulling up photos on her phone of the shelves that once lined the walls with personal belongings. Looking ahead, she said they plan to select simple white walls and tiles in the interest of moving back in quickly.
Sunlight filtered in through the hollow walls, and peering past them, one can see the remains of rose bushes and other decorative foliage. Sue painted a mental picture of orange, yellow and pink rose bushes that would be replanted, and a backyard fit to host events once again.
While it is a far cry from the house where all her belongs lay on the lawn immediately after the storm, much remains to be done, and she was unsure whether any neighbors would be able to return before the end of the season.
"Now people realize it may be a year, or even longer," she said.
Still, she shared her excitement at working with the housing association to begin selecting decorative elements of the planned rebuild.
The neighborhood remains quiet while residents await the all clear to return home. Some have stayed with family, while others have needed to travel away from Longboat Key for the time being.
Sue was one of the community members who shared her story at a public meeting last month, which offered attendees an opportunity to discuss the challenges they continued to face and find a way to collectively move forward.
The event, led by SRQ Strong, took place at All Angels Episcopal Church, but the organizers welcomed leaders from several faith-based groups on the Key.
Instructor Andy Blanch walked participants through the six stages of disaster trauma: pre-disaster, impact, heroic phase, disillusionment, recovery and bounce back.
Community members gladly shared stories from the “heroic phase,” be it a neighbor coming with a chainsaw to help clear debris in the immediate aftermath, or work crews who immediately set to the job of clearing roads, restoring power, and addressing the most dire needs.
"We had this idea to get together, share, and talk," Reverend David Marshall said.
Many of those who chose to speak agreed the majority of residents had reached the disillusionment stage, where they faced the challenges of rebuilding permitting and various waiting games. However, they shared their gratitude for the progress made so far.
Some residents have continued to tackle the recovery head on. Vilia Johnson recently helped organize a community cleanup of Gulf of Mexico Drive to deal with any remaining storm debris.
Along those lines, attendees did propose one amendment to the six recovery stages: replacing “bounce back” with “bounce forward.”
They said Longboat Key never will look exactly the same as before. However, they agreed they could keep pushing for improvements.
For Sue Reese, recovery includes a specific goal. She looks forward to unpacking the storage pod her daughter assembled immediately after the storm. But she is most excited to once again host one of the dinner parties she so enjoyed with her neighbors. And she hopes that dream isn't far away.
