FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (NewsNation) — Florida’s Treasure Coast was the hardest hit by Hurricane Nicole nearly five months ago, and the recovery process is still ongoing.

As the community picks us what they lost, residents are still trying to preserve what they have.

For more than 180 days, Patty Quigley and her husband have called an RV home.

“The water was deep — 12 inches. We heard stories about people with water up to their countertops,” said Quigley, a South Daytona Beach resident. “So, if you drive through this neighborhood, you’d still see campers, pods and homes that look good from the outside, but are just empty.”

Along Daytona Beach, Hurricane Nicole knocked out house after house.

“There was so much debris,” said Tammy Malphurs with Volusia County Beach Safety.

She said progress hasn’t come easy.

“It’s devastating to look at this and know these people lost their homes,” Malphurs said.

Hurricane Nicole hit in November 2022, six weeks to the day after Hurricane Ian — which resulted in a double dose of devastation for a lot of families.

The damage is estimated to be more than $1 billion.

At Chases on the Beach, crews are slowly putting it back together. Joe Ryan, the general manager, said they plan to reopen the restaurant next month.

“It’s getting there, but it’ll have a great look to it.”

Meanwhile, Quigley said she’ll finally be able to return to her home after months of waiting.

“It is just a fabulous feeling,” she said.

Quigley said it was a process to get financial assistance, but her family was able to get help.