The aftermath of Hurricane Helene has left Charlotte Harbor residents with severe damage, lost homes, and heartbreak.
Vicky Sacco stood outside her home on Harper Avenue, showing the destruction left behind. Her brand-new cars, with less than 400 miles on them, are now totaled. Inside her home, a waterline shows about four feet of storm surge that flooded homes in the area.
Sacco said she had to be rescued by a neighbor during the storm. She and her dogs climbed out of a window and into his canoe. Sacco said, “I asked, am I going to die? And he said, ‘Not tonight.’ He was just cool as a cucumber.”
For Sacco, the loss has been more than just material. Her family lost their beloved 20-year-old parrot, adopted from Parrot Outreach in Punta Gorda. “When we came back, my husband found her. That was hard,” she shared.
The Saccos, who had spent their life savings on their dream home and cars, are now facing the reality that everything is gone. “I worked in law enforcement for 25 years. This was our dream, and it’s gone,” said Sacco, though she adds, “but some people have it so much worse than us.”
Her neighbor, Elizabeth Szeve, said Hurricane Ian only brought inches of water into their home, while Helene delivered four feet of floodwater. Szeve broke down in tears, saying, “This one’s total devastation.”
Her husband, Scott, said that the storm has driven them to leave Florida altogether. “This was our dream and our paradise, but we just can’t afford it anymore. We don’t flood in Michigan,” he said.
While the Szeves are now living in an RV behind their ruined home, the Saccos have been able to rent a place nearby. Many of their neighbors, however, lack the resources to relocate and are forced to live in their damaged, flooded homes.
“I’m sad for myself, but when I see other people having to live in this, it breaks my heart,” Sacco said. “It’s horrible. It smells like a sewer, and the mold is growing everywhere.”
More rain is expected this weekend, and residents fear their homes will flood again due to clogged swales. Charlotte County is set to begin trash pickup on Monday, but for many, the road to recovery seems far away.