Editor's Note: The Orlando VA later clarified the number of veterans from Pinellas that they cared for were 60, while the other 16 veterans were sent to another veteran's facility in Orlando.

LAKE NONA, Fla. — The Orlando Veterans Affairs Campus in Lake Nona cared for 60 out of 76 veterans that were evacuated from the Bay Pines VA Healthcare System in Pinellas County due to Hurricane Idalia.

The other 16 veterans went to the State Veterans Home located in Lake Baldwin. 

Most of the veterans are now heading back home after Idalia passed over the state on Wednesday. 

What You Need To Know

  • 76 veterans from the Bay Pines VA evacuated to the Orlando VA Campus in Lake Nona

  • Bay Pines VA is assessing if their building is safe to transport all 76 veterans back

  • There isn’t a timeline on when the veterans will be back in Bay Pines at this point

As the entire state was eyeing Hurricane Idalia, so was the VA, especially those within an evacuation zone.

Now that the storm has passed — Bay Pines VA is assessing if their building is safe to transport all 76 veterans back, though a timeline is not currently in place.

Many of the folks who moved are in a PTSD or substance abuse program.

One of the patients finding a temporary home in Orlando, Matthew Gulyas, spent 7 years in the Naval Nuclear Power Program.

It was after the Navy that he did a mental self-check-in where he realized he needed help. Turning to the VA, he found those resources.

“There is no talking about it. There is stuff it away and bottled up. I became a professional soda bottling plant with my emotions. So instead of 99 bottles of beer on the wall, it was 99 bottles of emotion,” said Gulyas. “I kept trying to prove myself. It doesn’t ever leave for any real self-exploration or growth. So, a part of the journey was recognizing the help was wanted.”

Monday, things shifted for him and other veterans at the Bay Pines VA. Their facility was in an evacuation zone, and they needed to leave.

Quickly, the organization moved to the Lake Nona campus in Orlando.

“If anyone has ever doubted that large government can actively mobilize and move very quickly and efficiently and effectively, this is the answer for you," Gulyas said. "We mobilized pretty darn quickly. And put together a pretty good plan to take care of the veterans that we had.

The organization said the move was a balancing act between logistics and care for the veterans.

“Natural disasters like this and events like this can not only be disruptive, but it can be pretty triggering for veterans that are trying to recover,” Gulyas said.

Gulyas’ treatment program is momentarily paused as he and other veterans await the go-ahead to make the trek back.