‘We just took everything down’: Treasure Island residents prepare for Tropical Storm Milton, a week after Helene

TREASURE ISLAND, Fla. (WFLA) — Those already hit hard by Hurricane Helene is bracing for whatever Milton will bring their way. Homeowners on Treasure Island said it feels like Deja Vu.

"But as soon as we heard we had another storm coming in, we went back and grabbed all the shutters, we are covering the front door, we have a large parabolic window over here," resident Adrian Marrullier said.

"We just took everything down," homeowner Yvonne Marrullier added.

Adrian Marrullier and his wife Yvonne are worried as Tropical Storm Milton threatens the Tampa Bay area just over a week after Hurricane Helene devastated thousands along the coast.

"We are not in our home right now, we are in shelter, we are at a VRBO with our neighbor, who is completely wiped out over there, so now the question is where do we take shelter again if we need be," Yvonne said.

Their home, which took on four feet of standing water from Helene's surge, is still vulnerable.

"This on the track so it slides up pretty, this side is fine from a southern wind, and on the other side of the house we put the shutters there to," Adrian said.

Now they are putting up each layer of defense they have, one by one.

"For Helene, we didn't have those up, so we watched the water float up, the camera inside so we just watched the water come up,' Adrian said. 'We going to try and do some sandbags this time."

They're preparing for Milton, while also putting out debris in their front yard. "You can't prepare completely, but you can do what you can do," Adrian said. The homeowners told us they learned a couple of lessons from Helene, including taking personal items only, and to evacuate when officials ask you to do so.