In Hudson, Florida, the residents of the Sea Pines neighborhood are still recovering from the devastation left by Hurricane Helene, and they now face a new threat: looters, and another powerful storm—Hurricane Milton—approaching fast.
JoEllen Conover, a Sea Pines resident, took to social media to share a video of her community’s struggle. In the video, piles of destroyed possessions line the sidewalk. Makeshift signs written on pieces of cardboard and wood warning looters to stay away reflect the frustration and fear of residents trying to protect what little remains of their homes.
“We had a 5-foot storm surge, causing massive destruction. All single-story homes, like ours, lost everything,” Conover told Newsweek, recalling how houses were submerged in water up to the kitchen countertops.
Pictures of some of the hastily written signs in Sea Pines, Florida. Residents tried to protect their belongings amid the clean up after Hurricane Helene.
@joellensnaturalsoaps/TikTok
As the residents started to assess the damage to their homes, moving soaked belongings to the curbside, a new threat appeared—looters.
“No looting! Scram,” read one hastily written sign, while another said: “Not your stuff to take.”
“Before any of us were even able to assess the damages to our homes, we were preyed upon by people driving around, waiting for us to throw away our sewage-soaked belongings,” Conover said.
Without power and with homes unlivable, the looters descended on the neighborhood.
“It was like a violation—people were picking through what was our lives, just 24 hours before,” she said.
Compounding the issues faced by the neighborhood, many residents have recently lost their homeowners’ insurance because of the Florida insurance crisis, leaving them with no financial safety net to rebuild.
More pictures of the “no looting” signs in Sea Pines, Florida. JoEllen Conover told Newsweek that the looting felt like “a violation.”
@joellensnaturalsoaps/TikTok
A combination of natural disasters, high amounts of litigation and market instability have contributed to the insurance crisis facing the state. Following skyrocketing costs from hurricanes and legal claims, insurers have hiked up premiums to an average of $10,996 annually, while others have left the market altogether.
While state reforms aim to stabilize the market, the situation remains precarious, particularly as Florida prepares to battle Hurricane Milton, which is expected to be a “historic, once-in-a-lifetime storm.”
“I originally shared the video to document the devastation and thank those helping us. I had no idea the signs would take over TikTok and become a major talking point,” Conover said. “It’s not about the stuff—it’s about what those items meant to us.”
The frustration only deepened when some looters started rummaging through cars and scattering debris across the streets.
“The timing was just awful,” she added. “The neighbors had had enough, so the signs went up.”
The piles of ruined furniture in the streets are soaked in sewage and contaminated with dangerous bacteria—grim reminders of what the neighborhood has already endured.
“The furniture tested positive for Vibrio bacteria, a deadly superbug,” Conover said. “If anyone tries to salvage it, they’re putting themselves in danger.”
With the debris of Hurricane Helene still littering the area, residents are now scrambling to evacuate ahead of the arrive of Hurricane Milton, expected to make landfall in Florida on Wednesday night or early Thursday morning.
“Milton is set to come through, and there’s nothing left to protect. The timing couldn’t be worse,” Conover said.
