DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — It has now been over two years since Hurricane Ian made landfall on Sept. 28, 2022, as a Category 4 hurricane, but some Daytona Beach residents are still dealing with damage from the storm.

Ian caused significant damage in Volusia County, including on properties in Midtown Daytona Beach, which experienced severe flooding.

What You Need To Know

  • Hurricane Ian caused significant damage in Volusia County, where residents of Midtown Daytona Beach experienced flooding that impacted their homes

  • Daytona Beach resident Celena Stephens bought her house in 1995. She had been living in it for almost three decades, but in September 2022, her house was one of many that flooded during Hurricane Ian

  • Stephens hired a contractor to start fixing the damage from the hurricane and repairing her house, but when the engineers went to check if the foundation was stable, they couldn’t get their tools through the ground without pulling up trash

  • Engineer reports and the city deemed the house unsafe, and recommended a demolition which took place on Feb. 28. For two years, Stephens has been without a home

Walking through the empty lot on Alamanda Street that once contained her home, Daytona Beach resident Celena Stephens says she is still trying to recover.

Stephens bought her house in 1995 and had been living in it for almost three decades, when it was flooded by Hurricane Ian in September 2022.

“I went in my room, and I just started praying,” she said. “I didn’t know what to do.”

She said her nephew was living with her at the time, and after trying to get the water out for hours, it kept coming in.

 “And he came in and he said, ‘We gotta get out of here,’” Stephens said. 

“And we started walking down the street and I had on boots,” she said. “But it didn’t matter, because the water was over the boots.”

After the hurricane, FEMA allowed her free access to a travel trailer for 12 months. After that, she said they requested $1,800 a month, but she was able to appeal and the amount was reduced to $500 a month.

“And I said, ‘I still can’t afford it. I still have a mortgage. I got a mortgage to pay. How can I live?’” Stephens said.

She asked FEMA to remove the trailer by April 1, because she could not afford to rent it. Later she learned that FEMA sold some of the units to people that had homes that they could live in, but she said she wasn’t offered one.

Then Stephens hired a contractor to start fixing the damage from the hurricane by repairing her house. But when the engineers went to check if the foundation was stable, Stephens said they couldn’t get their tools through the ground without pulling up trash. 

“It was all kinds of debris,” she said.

She said her home was identified as unsafe by structural engineers.

“He said, ‘Oh my god,’” she said. “He said, ‘You got a real problem here.’ He said, ‘This house is sinking.’”

The contractor had to stop the process and, together with Stephens, they sent a letter to the City of Daytona Beach, letting them know about the issue.

“I was devastated,” she said. “Sometimes even now, it brings me to tears, that, you know, people really don’t care. You know, I feel like I’m stuck.”

According to the Volusia County Property Appraiser, Stephens’ home was built in 1958.

An engineer report conducted by Charles R. Adams & Associates, Inc. stated that: “The repair of the structure would cost more than 50% of its value and would, therefore, require it to be brought into compliance with the 2020 Florida Building Code. A less costly option would be to demolish the house and build a new one.”

On May 5, 2023, Stephens received a letter from the city of Daytona Beach in which they agreed with the engineers findings and stated: “As per FEMA P-758, substantially damaged structures must be brought into compliance with National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) requirements for new construction. These requirements include the lowest floors be elevated to or above the base flood elevation (BFE), moved to a location outside of the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA), or demolished and reconstructed to meet NFIP standards as well as currently adopted edition of the Florida Building Code.”

Stephens said the house demolition started on Feb. 28.

She said during this process she’s spent more than $65,000 to pay for surveys and hiring a contractor, among other expenses, and she continues to make monthly mortgage payments.

“I just don’t know what next to do,” Stephens said. “I shouldn’t have to, you know, worry about this at this late in the game.”

Stephens applied to the Volusia County Transform386 Program to try to recover some of the funds she spent trying to fix the house. Spectrum News 13 reached out to the Transform386 Program, and they sent the following email:

“The household submitted their application in November 2023. Initially, some required documents were missing, such as income verification, proof of ownership, and evidence of storm damage. Additionally, changes in the household composition caused further delays. By the end of June, we had been provided with the necessary information from the applicant.

The applicant also filed a claim with their insurance provider, and we are currently awaiting verification regarding any payout. The insurance provider has assured us they will send this information by Aug. 5.

Once we receive the details from the insurance provider, we will review any assistance the applicant may have received from FEMA, NFIP, and/or SBA to ensure there is no duplication of benefits per federal law and confirm income eligibility for possible Transform386 assistance.”

So far, Stephens said no one has been able to tell her why her property was built on such poor foundation.

“So, whatever it is, I probably have to start all over again,” she said. “And that’s not easy. It’s not an easy task.”

As Stephens faces uncertainty about what will happen next, and whether she will be able to rebuild her home, her colleagues have started a GoFundMe fundraiser to help her as she navigates this situation.

GoFundMe.com, or any other third-party online fundraiser, is not managed by Spectrum Bay News 9 or Spectrum News 13. For more information on how GoFundMe works and its rules, visit http://www.gofundme.com/safety.