Starting all over is hard. Doing it twice is nearly impossible.
However, that's the reality of some on Sanibel Island. Hurricane Helene brought 3 feet of storm surge to some areas, flooding out homes that were already recovering from Hurricane Ian.
We found neighbors helping neighbors at FISH of SANCAP, the only social service agency on the island.
Maria Espinoza is the executive director. She says the agency is giving out food, furniture, and even temporary housing to people in need.
“The first day after the storm, we had a line waiting for us at 7 a.m. So we opened up the pantry, started getting people assistance, and so far we've helped over 30 homes just kind of clean out and continue to go down the list," Espinoza said.
Ray Barr was helping people load furniture items into their cars. Barr lost his apartment to Ian two years ago. Now, he's back at FISH as a volunteer.
"I'm just trying to give back to FISH for all the things they've done for me. You name it. They helped me get a job and helped me with anything I needed. They're there for you," Barr said.
Sanibel is not out of the woods yet. It's still Hurricane Season, and a lot of rain in the next few days is expected. Spokesperson Eric Jackson said they are preparing.
"Our crews are out making sure that our stormwater system is ready for the inundation of water that we may get, being very proactive with our weirs system to make sure that we have as much capacity as possible for any of the water that we could get," Jackson said.
If you need help, you can call FISH at their 24-hour hotline, 294-472-4004. You can also visit their website here .