JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. – A Jacksonville Beach family is preparing for Hurricane Irma while the pain from Hurricane Matthew is still raw.
After nearly 11 months of insurance companies, FEMA and red tape -- it was finally time to finish what Matthew started. Members of the Tipton family watched Monday as their home of 24 years was demolished.
"My wife was definitely ... she was crying," said homeowner John Tipton. "But I think for me, we kind of went, I've gotten past that part and I'm, like, 'Gosh, I just want to get done with everything that needs to be done.'"
Matthew's storm surge was responsible for the initial damage to the house on Azalea Drive along the Intracoastal Waterway.
"Hardwood flooring, all the cabinetry that had seawater, what they call 'Cat 3 water,' that got into the walls," Tipton said.
In the city of Jacksonville's preliminary report on property damage caused by Hurricane Matthew, the Tiptons' home of nearly and a half decades was one of 38 homes listed as being destroyed.
The Tipton family made a lot of memories during those years, but now the house is just rubble and debris. Tipton said they'll take parts of the old house to build their brand new one in the same sport.
"That was the Mrs.' idea. She's got much better ideas than I do," Tipton said while he and his wife, Michelle, both laughed.
That sense of humor is a big part of the family's plan to move forward. Before the demolition, they snapped a photo of the whole family posing on a truck inside their former home.
All of them are still grateful.
"I kind of look at the people in Houston who don't have flood insurance. We had flood insurance," Tipton said. "But I look at them and I think, 'They've really got huge problems.' I don't really consider mine as big of a problem as theirs."
The Tiptons will now build at a higher elevation to avoid future flooding. They expect to be moved into their new home sometime within the next year.