Families hit hard by the storms face yet another major setback.

Many have not been able to return to their homes, and now a looming deadline could force them to pack their bags once again.

Hurricanes Helene and Milton’s surge left several Treasure Island communities in shambles.

The City of Treasure Island is dealing with a backlog of permit applications, and many property owners haven’t been able to start the process of rebuilding their homes.

“Our condo doesn’t even have permits yet,” said Lisa Flinn. “No one is working in our building. I don’t know what the issues are with HOA, insurance, FEMA, or Treasure Island. It’s the big unknown.”

Flinn had to turn a small hotel room into her home after Hurricane Helene flooded and destroyed her condo. However, her list of questions and concerns is growing.

The FEMA Temporary Sheltering Assistance Program covered Flinn’s hotel fees, but her 90-day stay is about to expire next week.

“FEMA is kicking us out on the 14th, and all of us here, at least 92 units, have no place to go,” Flinn said. “What are we supposed to do?”

Val Wolford is also sounding the alarm.

“We can’t go back to the original places,” Wolford said. “Everyone is scrambling for the few places that may have vacancy. Where are we going to go?”

The walls inside Wolford’s home have been missing since Helene made landfall in late September.

“We have to start over from silverware to furniture to personal belongings,” Wolford said. “Fortunately, I have my car and a bag full of some clothes. That’s pretty much all that was left.”

The community is calling on local and state officials to extend the deadline while the city works to clear the backlog of permit applications.

“We need some more assistance or an extension until they get something straightened out with the permits,” Wolford said.

Local news station WFLA reached out to FEMA about the looming deadline.

“I suspect that this is FEMA reviewing each survivor’s eligibility to determine eligibility to continue in TSA housing,” an official said. “That review can take place every 14 days.”

FEMA also responded: “Generally, every 14 days FEMA will review applicants’ eligibility for continued TSA. Applicants who meet the conditions of continued eligibility may remain in TSA.”

Examples of when an applicant will be deemed ineligible for TSA are as follows:

• Pre-disaster primary residence is deemed safe to occupy through a FEMA inspection.
• The home noted in the applicant’s registration is not the applicant’s primary residence.
• An applicant is linked with another applicant who may be receiving FEMA assistance.
• An inspector was not able to complete a home inspection after three attempts to contact the applicant or the applicant failed to show for one or more inspection appointments.
• The applicant received rental assistance from FEMA.
• The applicant has insurance that provides Additional Living Expenses or Loss of Use coverage or has not submitted documentation to prove they do not have these coverages.
• Failure to comply with the TSA terms and conditions.
• The applicant indicated they did not have damage to their primary residence at the time of application.

More information can be found online here.

The FEMA Disaster Recovery Center in Pinellas County is located at:

Enoch Davis Center 1111 18th Ave. South, St. Petersburg, FL 33704 Hours: 7 a.m.–7 p.m. Monday-Saturday

The Disaster Recovery Centers in Hillsborough and Citrus counties will close permanently at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 7.

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(Image credit: FEMA)