NORTH PORT, Fla. (WFLA) — With hurricane season beginning again, one family in North Port is preparing even as they continue rebuilding from Hurricane Ian.
“You know, you find yourself a lot of times being upset, getting angry. And I just have to remind myself that that’s normal,” said Sasha Greto.
The Gretos rode out the storm nearby their home, returning the following day to find it flooded and virtually destroyed.
“Honestly the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in my life is go back and tell them. She thought I was kidding at first. I said ‘We don’t have a house. It’s underwater,'” said Roy Greto.
They’re one of many families who chose to rebuild, but they are still fighting with their insurance company. They tell 8 On Your Side their insurance company considers most of the water damage to their home to be caused by flooding, not a hurricane. Since they don’t live in a flood plane, they didn’t carry flood insurance.
“We’ve depleted bank accounts, I’ve exhausted friends and family. I’ve racked up all my credit cards. Probably $50,000 out of pocket at this point,” they said, adding that they have so far taken no money from insurance while they continue fighting a small offer for flood damage.
The Gretos lived in a camper donated by a friend for a period of months as they worked to remodel their home. They ripped out walls and threw away furniture and other debris trying to prevent mold damage from spreading. They’ve recently been able to install new windows and are now living in their home again.
“You have to have some faith. You have to have some blind faith. You have to be able to hold onto something because everything is unknown. And I think it makes a huge difference, at least for me,” Sasha said.