Cities across the Sunshine State are in the process of cleaning up after Hurricane Helene devastated their towns. On Monday, officials continued working non-stop to get operations in their towns back to normal as many residents remained in disbelief in the storm’s aftermath. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said the cleanup effort will take a long time. “This is going to be a massive effort. The state is collaborating with county emergency management partners to open recovery shelters throughout the impacted area. They are working to provide travel trailers for people to live while on their property,” said DeSantis. Over the weekend, residents and officials surveyed the damage left behind by Helene’s strong winds and storm surge. “Widespread devastation is the best way to kind of view it and put it into words. It’s hard to put into words. It’s unimaginable,” said business owner Dylan Hubbard. Roads that were covered by mounds of sand due to the storm are slowly getting cleaned up, allowing aid to get into the hardest-hit areas. Some homes in the area were reduced to their foundation. Residents lucky to be spared the worst said they understand how devastating it could have been for them. “Unfortunately, a lot of damage was left behind. It looks devastating around the area. We’re very blessed that we are still here and we’re very blessed in our case at Hubbard’s Marina that our boats made it through the storm,” said Hubbard. In Clearwater, the Marine Aquarium, a key tourist destination, was hit with catastrophic damage by Helene. Most of the aquarium’s life support systems were lost by flooding. The saltwater damage took out other vital equipment. Aquarium officials said two manatees that were getting care there had to be moved to Zoo Tampa while sea turtles that were under their care had to be moved to Boca Raton. Residents, like Hubbard, who has lived through multiple storms, said Helene was one of the more destructive hurricanes he has seen. “We had Adalia in my time, which was a pretty tough ride for us. We had really bad flooding and then Ada as well was kind of historic for us. That was even a little bit more flooding. And then this storm, I mean, just made those storms look like child’s play,” said Hubbard. But Florida officials strike an optimistic tone that Florida will get right back on its feet in no time. “Florida, we have it handled, we got approved for the individual assistance things we’ve wanted, we have what we need,” said DeSantis. “I think most of the efforts should be in western North Carolina right now.” The governor also said he is sending rescue teams to North Carolina, where many Floridians have second homes.