SARASOTA, Fla. (WFLA) — One year after Hurricane Milton barreled toward Florida's Gulf Coast, Michelle Wooster said she remembers the imperative urgency.

Wooster, her husband and 4-year-old daughter, Ruby — then 3 years old — left their Sarasota home one day before the storm hit on Oct. 9.

A year later, reminders of that day still hang over their property — literally. Tarps cover part of the roof, towels line the garage floor, and plywood keeps out the rain that still finds its way in.

“We’ve had to replace that over and over,” Wooster said. “A decent tarp is at least $80. And like I said, this is like the sixth one.”

When she first returned home after the storm, the scale of destruction left her in tears.

“I immediately burst into tears cause all of the lights were down. All of the s

See Full Page