MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — In the year since Hurricane Debby, neighbors across the Tampa Bay Area have been rebuilding their homes and lives.
Tina Borling has had a front row seat to the changing landscape of her neighborhood in Manatee County.
Watch full report from Mary O'Connell
“When we first moved here, we loved everything about it,” said Borling. “The nice big piece of property. The neighbors across the way were cows."
She's lived in her home off Jim Davis Road in Parrish for 22 years. In those two decades, Borling also witnessed the devastation from Hurricane Debby.
“The water came in fast, from no water in the driveway or on the property to within five hours…starting to come into our home. Probably within an hour after that, we had 18 inches in our home,” she said.
ABC Action News visited neighbors on her street last year after Debby inundated some areas with water.
365 days later, families are building back.
"It's emotional because we've had neighbors that've been here on this road for many years that are moving away because of the storm, and I'm very close to one of them that are moving away, and it's just very hard,” she said.
Manatee County officials said last year’s hurricanes served as a reminder of how quickly and severely storms can impact the community, noting that they learned important lessons about the resource deployment, clearer communication with at-risk residents, and more resilient infrastructure.
County officials said that they've taken several steps to strengthen emergency preparedness and protect lives and property.
Leaders said with additional stream gauges and flood monitoring sensors now in place across the county, they can track water levels in real time and respond faster to flooding threats.
Officials also said more than 204 miles of stormwater canals and creeks are being cleared of blockages and buildup, especially in areas that experienced flooding last year.
"It was very tough, and we're still recovering,” said Borling.
Neighbors are recovering, yet they’re resilient and ready for whatever a new storm season brings.
“God has a plan for us, for all of us, and I know that we'll be fine this year,” said Borling.
Corporation for Public Broadcasting shutdown will impact Tampa's PBS and NPR stations
From Mr. Rogers to Sesame Street. From Downton Abbey to the documentaries of filmmaker Ken Burns. They’re shows so many Americans love and grew up on, and they were broadcast on local PBS stations thanks to funding from the Corporation of Public Broadcasting.
