There's been many sleepless nights over the last few weeks for Tammy Rau and her family.
With a second home in Port Charlotte, Fla., just south of Tampa, they'd been glued to their televisions and weather apps hoping for the best as Hurricane Milton made its way towards the coast on Wednesday.
Heavy rain and winds resulted in what Rau calls "cosmetic damages," including a knocked over fence, ripped screens and blown out windows on their lanai, and torn up landscaping.
All in, she estimates it's roughly $5,000 in damage, a total she feels fortunate about given the death toll as a result of the storm has climbed to double digits.
"It’s been very stressful for anyone that has property there," Rau said.
"We've had property down there since 2012 and there's blessings and curses. We're blessed we have that as a second home."
Rau believes that because their property is a newer build located at a higher elevation and is equipped with hurricane windows and shutters, it was saved from more significant damage.
Her neighbour across the street didn't have that luxury as they were situated on lower land.
The neighbour was preparing to move into the Rau home for safety before eventually being convinced to evacuate. A smart decision given the surge came within mere feet of engulfing the Rau's pool and potentially making its way into the house.
"It's terrifying," Rau said.
"Our sheriff was telling people if they stayed to write their name and next of kin on their arm in permanent marker so they could be identified."
It was the second time in the last several weeks the state was rocked by a hurricane, as many were still cleaning up from Hurricane Helene when Milton rolled in.
Rau is heading down to her place at the end of the month for a few weeks to open it before going for the winter at the beginning of December.
She's unsure how much time will be needed to clean up but points to the fact many residents are still homeless and picking up the pieces from Hurricane Ian in 2022. That hurricane caused the Raus between $30,000 and $40,000 in damages.
The other issue many are facing is dealing with insurance, as it's increased anywhere between 20 and 200 per cent depending on the circumstances, she said, while some properties have been deemed uninsurable.
"I can’t imagine," she said.
"None of my friends have said they're moving, but they’re done with it. It’s a lot."
Despite the helpless feeling and stress, she's thankful for the supportive community where she lives. Neighbours have already started securing her belongings and helping to fix the damage.
"I say my prayers every night," Rau said.
"You have to be thankful for your life and that we're not homeless. We know how blessed we are."
