Exclusive:
A woman from Hove, East Sussex, who has a holiday home in Florida, was left to ‘fear the worst’ after her property was hit by both Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton
British storm survivors returned to their ravaged homes yesterday for the first time since two deadly hurricanes hit Florida.
Teresa Brach, from Hove, East Sussex, arrived back at her bungalow on Anna Maria Island fearing the worst after it had been predicted to take the full 135mph force of Hurricane Milton.
The beachside property on the Florida peninsula’s west coast – one of the most vulnerable regions – had already been hit two weeks ago by Hurricane Helene, which flooded much of the coastline.
Yesterday, we joined Teresa, 51, as she ventured back to assess the damage for the first time.
After days of uncertainty, she was greeted by a scene of sheer destruction along her street.
But last night she was breathing a massive sigh of relief that her home was not torn apart. She admitted: “I feared the worst.
“Given the predictions of an ‘unsurvivable storm’, I’d thought the roof would be off at best. When I see how others have been left devastated, we’ve been incredibly lucky.
“My friends Todd and Jody Rodgers lost everything. Their home was left ravaged by Milton.”
Mum-of-two Teresa and her friend Lauren Tarry, 51, flew to Florida last Monday. But before they could check the damage from Helene, they were forced to flee to Orlando as Milton began to build.
Lauren said: “We landed expecting to find some damage, but before we could even step inside, we were told to get out.
“Hurricane Milton was coming, and we didn’t have time to even look at the wreckage of Helene.”
Teresa told how pals Todd and Jody had been left homeless, with their five dogs. She said: “I’d packed a suitcase of things for their dogs and underwear for them.
“That’s why I flew out, knowing Milton was coming. We all come together at such times.”
Despite feeling she had been “lucky”, Teresa’s home was flooded with almost nine inches of water.
Her garden and pool had been destroyed.
Anna Maria Island is home to dozens of British ex-pats. Teresa’s neighbours Sharon and Alan Mann came from Bolton to live in the area 21 years ago.
Retired engineer Alan said the process of rebuilding had already begun. He said: “Hurricanes are part and parcel of living in Florida.
“The damage throughout the area has been extensive but fortunately our home managed to avoid large-scale destruction.
“The winds were so high I now have fish in my swimming pool.”
Many residents now face an uncertain future. Teresa’s American pal Jody said: “We built our house with our bare hands, from the ground up.
“Helene and Milton have taken everything we own.”
Florida is still on high alert, with meteorologists tracking several other tropical systems.
Teresa added: “It’s far from over. Who knows what’s coming next?”
