CRYSTAL RIVER, Fla. — In the coastal communities north of Tampa Bay, many are still working to empty their homes out, trashing all of the items ruined by Hurricane Idalia flood waters.
In Citrus County, homes and businesses saw several feet of flooding. Driving through the city of Crystal River, it might not look like a hurricane swept through. But as city officials are pointing out, it's because the water and the flooding caused a lot of damage more so than the wind.
Streets are lined with piles of debris along the curbs. Just about every building west of U.S. 19 saw flood damage.
"Here you'll be able to see, I think it was just about 24 inches that we got inside," Morgan Sundberg said.
Sundberg owns Kane's Cattle Co., a steak house located on Citrus Avenue in downtown Crystal River. She watched the flood waters rise in her restaurant through her surveillance cameras. The replacement appliances will cost upwards of $100,000.
"You can see where all their main motor sits," Sundberg said as she pointed to her bar fridges. "Right, right at the bottom. So you can see the water line on our kegerator. So all of those ones are shot."
Of all the things the flood waters ruined, there was one thing the rushing waters carried away. The Kane's Cattle Co. dumpster became a bit of a local viral sensation during Hurricane Idalia.
"I was kind of like, How funny, not funny but funny, would it be if that was our dumpster? Turns out it was our dumpster," Sundberg said with a chuckle.
Finding some comedic relief through a lot of flood damage, Sundberg, like many others, has spent every day since Idalia clearing out the damage.
"If you drive around the city right now, unfortunately, it looks like a warzone," Mayor Joe Meek said. "You have everyone's belongings on the side of the road right now. That cleanup will start this Wednesday."
The Crystal River Mayor said it'll take a couple of rounds before the city can remove all the debris brought curbside.
It'll take businesses and homeowners weeks to recover, possibly longer if there are delays from insurance.
In Crystal River, city buildings are also in need of extensive repairs following Hurricane Idalia. Tomorrow's city council meeting will be held in the Chamber of Commerce building because City Hall is currently uninhabitable.
Just south of Citrus County, in Spring Hill, volunteers were spread out throughout Hernando County helping residents clear their homes.
In Hernando County, there was an estimated 5-8 feet of storm surge impacting coastal communities.
The greatest need for many dealing with severe flooding: helping hands to remove damaged appliances and furniture.
"We've had over 100 requests for assistance from homeowners helping move out their wet carpeting their drywall, their furniture, their appliances," Erin Daly said.
Daly is a volunteer with the United Cajun Navy. The volunteer-run non-profit helps communities after disaster strikes.
"We have volunteers showing up with heavy machinery to help homeowners move their dogs and debris getting all the wet stuff out to the curb," Daly said.
In Hernando, FEMA contractors will be on the ground next week to assess damages. As people rush to get repairs started, county officials want to warn home and business owners about scams.
"Use licensed contractors, make sure they're doing this the proper way, going through the proper FEMA channels," Commissioner Brian Hawkins said. "And that's all starting to open up now. You can find that information directly on our website, or you can go to the FEMA website. We have that declaration in place right now."
Hawkins said the community is coming together in a tough time. In areas where the inside of a home is a total loss, you'll find neighbors helping neighbors.
As residents and volunteers begin moving their debris to the curb, the Hernando County Commissioner said storm debris pickup begins next week. They're asking you to group your debris together, separating appliances, hazardous waste, and vegetation to make pick-up easier.
Malique Rankin is a general assignment reporter with 10 Tampa Bay. You can email her story ideas at mrankin@10tampabay.com and follow her Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages.