WAUCHULA, Fla. — Five days after Hurricane Ian tore through Florida, flooding and power outages continue to plague Hardee County.
One couple who lived in Wauchula lost everything when the storm brought flooding as they'd never seen before.
"I feel devastated," Tammy Daw said. "We left with ourselves, some medication and our dog. That’s what we got out with.”
In the middle of a hurricane, Tammy and her husband left their home in a frenzy, not even pausing for shoes.
"The wind, the rain, it was just coming from any and every which aside. It was just turning and the wind never let up," Tammy said.
When they could return days later, their dream home, one they spent years paying off, was in ruin.
"We were only two years away from paying our house off. We spent years trying to get it so that we wouldn't have to work quite so hard, and now we'll have to start all over," she said.
Flooding caused by the storm has devastated the area.
Hardee County Communications Director Alicia Woodard said the hurricane brought historic flood levels to the area. The last historical flood level was in 1933 at 25 feet. Following Hurricane Ian, the peak was more than 27 feet.
Woodard said the areas hardest hit by flooding won't see power restored for some time.
"It's very difficult to get power restored to areas where there are electrical safety issues," she said. "We can't get crews in there to restore polls and lines until that water recedes."
Meanwhile, search and rescue efforts continue. County officials said once that's complete, they can focus on recovery.
But for those like the Daws, assistance can't come soon enough. They don't have flood insurance and are very concerned about what the future holds.
"The city comes by today and told me it was a total loss, and I'm like, a total loss? Is FEMA going to write me a check? Because my insurance company told me no," Tammy said.