TAMPA, Fla. — In Tarpon Springs, many families are cleaning up after Hurricane Helene.

“I lost everything,” said George Papadopoulos. “This time I lost everything.”

The Papadopoulos family is from Canada, but they own a few Bay area properties, including two homes in Tarpon Springs. 

Six months out of the year, the snowbirds live in one of their Tarpon homes. 

After hearing about the approaching hurricane, George traveled to the Bay area to save that home, but the water was too high.

“All off a sudden after one hour, the water comes almost 4 feet up,” George said. “It was crazy to see the water come up that fast.”

He stepped on a chair, jumped through the window and headed for higher ground. 

“Dad takes care of everything once he gets into beast mode,” said his daughter, Stacy Michailidis. “First time, my dad threw up his hands and said there is nothing I can do.”

Being near the water, their Tarpon properties are no stranger to flooding, they just purchased new appliances after Hurricane Idalia. 

So George got a pump to suck the water out next time there was a flood. 

“I was ready, I’m telling you, I was ready,” Papadopoulos said. “I wasn’t ready for 4 feet.”

The family has spent the last couple of days drying out some items and dumping the rest.

“All their hard work to get to this,” Stacy said about her parents. “This is their retirement.”

The family is hoping they can receive financial assistance from FEMA to help rebuild their lives.