ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Shore Acres neighborhood is no stranger to flooding, but the waters left behind in Hurricane Helene’s wake have a lot of people questioning how much more they can take.

What You Need To Know

  •  Residents of the Shore Acres neighborhood are feeling frustrated after Hurricane Helene brought severe flooding to the area

  •  Kim Culbertson lives in the area and celebrated her baby shower last week. She came home to four feet of water in her home and all her gifts destroyed

  • Many Shore Acres residents have had their homes flood over the years, but for some, this was a first

Kim Culbertson came home to four feet of water in her home.

A bassinet, kids toys, and everything else this eight-and-a-half-month pregnant mom would need, are all gone because of floodwaters.

“It’s just overwhelming,” she said. “It just gets to a point where there’s no words to describe how you feel when you work so hard for something, and then we just flooded like 12-13 months ago with Idalia, and that was nowhere near as bad as this is going to be, and it took us four months to get back home.

Culbertson just had her baby shower last week and every gift was destroyed. She said this is last straw.

“We just can’t do it again. I’ve got a five-year-old and a two-year-old, and I got another one on the way, and just watching my son cry as we load his toys in is just too much to handle,” she said. “It’s just too much. I can’t.”

Many Shore Acres residents have had their homes flood over the years, but for some, this was a first. Many of them said piles of their damaged belongings are just the beginning of the clean-up and coping process.