Residents let back onto south side of Manasota Key

WINK News is getting a look at the south side of Manasota Key for the first time since Hurricane Milton.

Tuesday was the first day people could go back to this side of the island.

For six days Nancy Burch was left in the dark.

“That was awful … I think it was worse because I knew it was bad, but I just didn’t know how bad,” said Nancy Burch.

On Tuesday, Nancy and her daughter Mariah saw how bad it was for the first time when the south end of the Manasota Key opened back up.

Cinderblocks lay on the ground like scattered Legos.

“The ones on the bottom were filled with cement and the other ones not, and it just clicks,” said Burch.

It’s heartbreaking for the mom and daughter. They’ve had this place for almost 30 years, but Nancy and Mariah don’t see the damage.

“I mean, I look and I see all the things that we used to do in here, and the fun that we had, and we keep thinking we’re going to put it back, though I don’t know if we can or not,” said Burch.

They see the place where Mariah lost her first tooth, the lanai where they’d enjoy morning coffee. That roof is now toppled over.

“But what is this? I mean, some of this I recognize, and some of it is, like, where did that all come from?” said Burch. “Oh, my God, look at that shot right there. I mean this, these were separate backyards that next house over had just, oh, wow.”

The neighbor’s home breached in the back took Nancy’s breath away. Completely hollowed out, you can see right to the gulf.

“We still feel really lucky that we don’t live here all the time, and so we didn’t have our family heirlooms and things,” said Mariah Burch.

The Burch family lives in Atlanta. They chose Manasota Key because of the old Florida feel, but old Florida and a hurricane usually ends with the beachy style, one-story homes under water and damaged.