00:00From sunken dunes to roads blocked by five feet of sand, Sunset Beach in Pinellas County, Florida took a catastrophic hit from Hurricane Helene.
00:12Nobody's ready. No city manager was ready for seven foot of water or five foot of sand.
00:17They had just done beach re-nourishment, and so there were larger sand dunes that all ended up blocking Gulf Boulevard.
00:30God forbid another hurricane come off the Gulf like that.
00:34Hurricane Helene's storm surge severely battered long-standing homes and businesses that had stood here for generations.
00:41It was very devastating to see. It's still very devastating to see because people still are living it.
00:48If you drive down that way, you can still, like my neighbor across the street still is living in a house that's still being worked on, you know, so it's sad.
00:57Now, one of the biggest challenges is this. There is still several feet of sand inside homes and some businesses one year later.
01:06The city says it's their top priority to get those permits approved so folks can rebuild, but the process isn't always simple.
01:12The city and county are deep into restoration efforts, projects that will replace the dunes and help homeowners and small businesses by cutting some of the red tape.
01:23We must become the department of yes. Unless there is something that's going to hurt somebody in the plans they submit, we need to expedite these plans.
01:34The city government needs to be helpful in getting people back in their homes and businesses, not be a stumbling block.
01:42If you're a homeowner trying to restore your property, we want to give you a fast lane, an express lane to get back in it through the permitting process.
01:51So, one year later, Sunset Beach is slowly moving forward, but getting smarter about the next storm because the waters will come again next time this community vows to be ready, recover faster, and keep their community thriving.
02:06People have lived here forever. These are their forever homes.
02:10Along Sunset Beach and Treasure Island, I'm Leslie Hudson for AccuWeather.
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