Some Manasota Key homes wiped away and many others destroyed following Hurricane Milton

Hurricane Milton devastates Manasota Key

Kimberly Kuizon reports

MANASOTA KEY, Fla. - A single pink swing that's hanging from a tree is one of the few things left that Hurricane Milton didn’t take from Manasota Key.

"You need dehumidifiers, fans, you’ve got to tear out walls. You’ve got to carry stuff down here. That’s not an easy haul carrying this stuff," said Julie Levitt.

Down the street, Levitt surveyed damage to her neighborhood that was hit by two strong hurricanes in two weeks.

"We already had it all out of the way, and over in our yard we even dug it so deep you could even put a pool in it, and now it’s refilled now," she said.

Around the south end of Manasota Key in Charlotte County, homes were pushed off their foundations. Others were completely washed away.

Some of Levitt's neighbors could rebuild, but others are already thinking twice.

READ: Hurricane Milton caused over $351M in property damage in Manatee County

"I know some of them can’t take anymore, and they will give up and move out. They’re done. It’s just too much with this last two sand piles. And they have to pay and move it by themselves," said Levitt.

At the White Elephant Pub, manager Glen Ellison and employees work to dig the restaurant out. They were working to fix flooding damage from Helene, when Milton brought even more.

"We spent two weeks cleaning up to get buried by sand," said Ellison.

Not everything was taken, which can sometimes lead to a smile among heartache.

READ: WATCH: Bradenton Police rescue family, pets after tree falls on home during Hurricane Milton

Signs of Milton remain, including a distinct watermark.

"There’s the water line, so that’s 6’-6’3 maybe," he said.

Ellison and his crew aren’t going anywhere.

"We will be back. We will build it better," he said.

Levitt said the same. Their spirits are dampened, but strong.

"We aren’t broken. It will be back, but it will take a long time. At least a couple of months for the houses, three months maybe longer than that if we don’t get in and get them under control. They have to get in and get the roads cleaned, and then it’ll go faster, and we can go quicker at it," she said.

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