SIESTA KEY, Fla. — The cleanup from Hurricane Helene continued in Sarasota County on Saturday where water can still be seen swamping streets and debris piles start to stack up.
For many, recovery will take a tremendous amount of time. Some have lost everything.
"It's a mess," Charmaine Le Patrouel said. "Look at all my furniture. I'm going to have to curbside it all."
Le Patrouel is among those who will likely have to start over. But although much can be replaced, some things just can't.
"I'm hoping I can save these," she said of her photo albums, soaked in salt water.
Although Helene's aftermath has brought plenty of grief, for just a moment Saturday, there was cause for celebration at Daiquiri Deck in downtown as power came back on.
Right in the middle of interviewing with 10 Tampa Bay's Chris Hurst, Daiquiri Deck owner Troy Syprett let out a burst of joy.
"You just saw the power come on!" He exclaimed with a grin from ear to ear. "That's a huge thing!"
As Sarasota County residents face this monumental challenge of recovery, it's local restaurants like these that can help the daily task of staying fed.
"We'll be a place that people that don't have kitchens, that are trying to move back into their houses but don't have the ability to cook, they have a place to go eat," Syprett said.
He added that four of the five Daiquiri Deck restaurants took on water but that the St. Armand's Circle location was back open.