Hurricane Ian flood victims still in need of help, months after devastating storm

SANFORD, Fla. - It's been more than seven months since Hurricane Ian flooded Seminole County homes. Some people still don't have a place to live, as the county works to prepare for the next hurricane.

For weeks residents after Hurricane Ian, residents in Geneva had to use boats and canoes to get to their homes. Now, many homes along Lake Harney are still gutted as residents work to decide if they're going to move or rebuild.

"It will all work out. I have faith," said Angela Zwarycz whose home was destroyed by Hurricane Ian. "It will all work out."

Through grants, Seminole County homeowners can get assistance to elevate, relocate, or demolish their homes. So far the county is working with 15 families, but the choice is weighing heavy on many homeowners.

"I go back and forth. One day I want to fix it, and one day I’m going to do the buyout," said Zwarycz. "I see other families making memories, like the ones we had, but then I don’t want them to go through the same thing we went through. I did have a family inquiry, but I was like I don’t want your family to go through that because it’s going to happen again."

Geneva resident John Carter is thinking to rebuild his home much higher off the ground."It’s been three-quarters of a year since the flood, and it still weighs on my mind," said Carter. 

"But, I can see the future and I can see that eventually, I’ll be through this and on the other side, sipping that adult beverage, and watching the waves lap in this cool breeze."

With the 2023 hurricane season nearing, Seminole County got an $11 million grant to clean up big debris, like massive trees, that continue to block our waterways.

"If we don’t remove the trees, if we have another significant event we will have blockages which could cause additional flooding that could happen to homes because if the water is not going its normal route, you’re going to have it stopped," said Marie Lackey with Seminole County Watershed Management.