PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — After Hurricanes Helene and Milton slammed into Florida just a week and a half apart, many homes across Tampa Bay were left damaged, and even destroyed.

As county and city crew members continue assessing damage across Pinellas County, a new damage assessment report revealed an alarming amount of destruction for residential buildings.

After Hurricane Helene, the county reported that 28,350 homes sustained damage— including 268 destroyed, and 16,803 with significant damage.

Following Hurricane Milton, 12,781 homes were damaged, as of Friday at 8 p.m. Of that number, 448 were destroyed and 2,130 were majorly impacted.

Between both storms, this brings the total amount to 41,131 Pinellas County homes with storm damage, as of Friday night.

The county also reported that 98,619 residents applied for FEMA after Milton, and 67,289 after Helene, as of Thursday. FEMA has distributed nearly $107 million for Pinellas County residents alone from the two storms. Damage assessments remain ongoing for Hurricane Milton.

Mounds of debris still line the streets in St. Pete Beach.

It’s a grim reminder of Helene’s relentless surge that forced residents out of their homes.

“Our whole neighborhood was under four feet of water,” Jude Miller said. “You feel homeless.” 

The vibrant beach town is nearly vacant.

“It’s a graveyard,” Sandra Landry said. “You simply can’t live there. We had a difficult time initially, even finding a hotel. We came all the way over to the Temple Terrace area to find a hotel, and it was really deplorable.”

FEMA is now providing Transitional Sheltering Assistance for homeowners and renters who were displaced following the storms.

The program offers temporary housing for up to 90 days.

However, with months of rebuilding on the horizon, there’s worry the assistance from FEMA may not be enough to meet the need.

“We don’t know what the future really looks like,” Landry said. “At my age, I never ever thought I would be in this position.”

Eligible applicants will be notified after applying for individual assistance.

FEMA can also help residents with immediate serious needs and rental assistance. Residents can apply at DisasterAssistance.gov, using the FEMA app or at 800-621-3362.

Residents can also get assistance by calling a 24-hour hotline at 833-GET HOPE.