TAMPA, Fla. — As communities have continued to pick up the pieces of Hurricane Helene, preparations are now underway for the next hurricane. One area that saw a lot of flooding was South Hillsborough County.

For many of the residents in this Gibsonton community, it feels like they can’t get a break. One resident says they’re evacuating, boarding up their homes and hoping for the best.

Less than a month ago, Hurricane Helene forced Evencio Hernandez to leave his home in the middle of the night.

“It was something unexpected and the water rising as high as it did caught us all off guard,” he said.

He’s been living in his mobile home community since 2006 and says Helene was one of the scariest hurricanes he’s ever been through.

He lost several cars and items inside his home due to the storm.

“This situation is really sad and very hard so we’re trying to take it day by day as the hurricane nears,” he said.

Evencio says he’s had to rely on his community for help because he doesn’t qualify for FEMA. So this time, he’s not taking any chances. He says he’ll do whatever he can to protect his home.

Some homes are boarded up, while others are evacuating to get as far away as possible from Hurricane Milton.

Leticia Ortiz Rodriguez is packing up her family and heading to Georgia. She says Hurricane Helene left them without anything.

“In my house nothing works and for the meantime we’re not going to be staying here because my children will get sick,” she said.

She’s staying hopeful that when she returns, she’ll be able to rebuild.

Many other residents in the community have already evacuated and will be heading to safer locations.

Officials are asking to prepare now. If residents are in an evacuation zone, they can head to the Hillsborough county government website for more information on what to do.