PLANT CITY, Fla. — Six months after Hurricanes Helene and Milton, many people hit hard by those storms are still recovering.  And some of those homeowners are still having to deal with damage from previous storms as well.

What You Need To Know

  • Tanya Morales is still waiting on insurance money to fix roof problems that only get worse with each passing storm.

  • In January 2024, Morales said Citizens Property Insurance was denying a claim to fix her roof. And on top of that, Citizens – considered the state’s insurer of last resort – was dropping her coverage.  

  • She’s now covered by another carrier, but still more than a year later, she’s still waiting for her claim to be processed. She’s now working with a public adjuster and an attorney to get her claim paid out.

  • During Hurricanes Helene and Milton, Morales says a temporary fix to her roof kept most of the water out of her home. But she worries how long that temporary fix is going to hold up. 

Tanya Morales is still waiting on insurance money to fix roof problems that only get worse with each passing storm.

Every few days, Morales gets out her ladder and climbs up on her roof to sweep leaves and other tree debris off her roof.

“These oak trees will dump a ton of leaves,” said Morales.

And all those leaves can lead to a leaky roof, allowing rainwater into her home.

“I could do this much work about twice a week, and if I don’t it just exacerbates the problem,” said Morales. “So I have to keep it cleaned off so I know that the roof isn’t cluttered and I’m not letting water pool on an already week point in the roof.”

After several hurricanes damaged her roof, she says during storms, rain would come right down into her kitchen and laundry room.

“This was so scary - I didn’t know what to do to stop the ceiling from caving in – so we just took a screwdriver, stabbed the ceiling, and then the water just started pouring out into buckets and towels on the floor,” said Morales.

In January 2024, Morales said Citizens Property Insurance was denying a claim to fix her roof. And on top of that, Citizens – considered the state’s insurer of last resort – was dropping her coverage. She’s now covered by another carrier, but still more than a year later, she’s still waiting for her claim to be processed. She’s now working with a public adjuster and an attorney to get her claim paid out.

“If Citizens was supposed to be the last choice, and now this other one – it just makes me nervous – makes me nervous if there were to be another storm or other significant damage, I just don’t know if the coverage will come through,” said Morales. “I’m still waiting on this one and we’re coming up on two years and at that two-year mark we’re at another hurricane season.”

During Hurricanes Helene and Milton, Morales says a temporary fix to her roof kept most of the water out of her home. But she worries how long that temporary fix is going to hold up. And with all the large trees on her property, she worries about damage from future storms.

All the sweeping, along with a temporary sealant in a few spots on her roof, are mostly keeping rainwater from leaking down into her home. But, with the rainy season, and eventually another hurricane season approaching, she worries it could only be a matter of time before her home sustains more damage.