Orange County families cleaning up debris from damaged homes
The Rio Pinar Country Club Estates in East Orange County experienced devastating flooding from Hurricane Ian.
There was a heartbreaking sight on Pinar Drive, where piles of flood-damaged furniture, flooring and drywall sit in front of home after home.
A creek behind the houses connects to the little Econ and rushed over its banks at the height of hurricane Ian.
"Once it hit our front porch area, within 20 minutes, it was all throughout our house from this side to that side," Alissa Peeples, a resident, said.
A neighbor recorded Alissa and Tim Peeples, and their two young kids being rescued early last Thursday.
"In the middle of the storm, Orange County actually came out on boats and started getting people out," Peeples said.
Like so many in the neighborhood, the Peeples are at a loss, trying to decide what to salvage and what needs to be tossed.
"We've both had a lot of up and downs, and we're still in the shock phase of it, but God is good and we'll continue to make sure our neighbors are taken care of and our family," Tim Peeples said.
One neighbor the Peeples were worried about is Cheryl Boylan.
She uses a walker and is on oxygen.
"My husband woke me up and said the neighbors called, said, 'The water's coming, the water's coming.' I'm like, 'What are you talking about?' He said, 'Get on the bed because I have no idea how deep it is,'" Boylan said.
Boylan says they called 911, but it took a few hours for rescuers to arrive.
Most of their flooring, baseboards and even drywall will have to be torn out.
They say they'll have to live in a hotel for a few months and worry about the expense, but they are also grateful to be OK.
"We thought we were gonna float away. We had no idea," Boylan said.
WESH 2 asked some of the homeowners if they have flood insurance, and many of them do have it through the federal government, but they said it doesn't cover their belongings, just the flood damage to the house.
WESH heard story after story of neighbors helping each other out, from welcoming people into their homes to delivering food.