ZEPHYRHILLS, Fla. — Some Bay area neighborhoods are still dealing with the aftermath of a storm, weeks after strong winds damaged their homes and left them without a place to live.
- Forest Lake Estates still dealing with storm damage repairs
- Residents left without a place to live
- Char Slanaker, 73, seeing no repairs done to home
Seventy-three-year-old Char Slanaker remembers the moment the storm upended her life last month.
"We were sitting and watching television and then all of a sudden we heard something hit. We saw a tree sticking through the wall and we didn't know what happened," Slanaker said.
Strong winds swept through the quiet Forest Lake Estates neighborhood in Zephyrhills on December 20, 2018. And on Jessup Road, Slanaker's house sustained the most damage.
"I walked inside and it's like the trees were growing into her living room and her master bedroom," neighbor Sheila Howard said.
Once the winds died down, contractors were called and that's when Slanaker got the news she wasn't prepared to hear.
"We were told we couldn't live there until it was repaired," Slanaker said.
Slanaker, her husband, and her dog Buster sought shelter at a hotel just a few miles away from her home of 13 years. Weeks after the devastating storm, her house sits untouched and in disrepair, partially covered in blue tarp.
"We just can't lead our normal life. We try but it's not easy because we're not in our home," she said.
Despite the road bumps, Slanaker is optimistic that things are turning around. She believes the repair delays are due to the holiday season and the lack of available contractors.
Luckily, she is scheduled to meet with a contractor and hopes to get an affordable estimate so repairs can begin. If all goes to according to plan, Slanaker could be back in her home within a few weeks.