CRYSTAL RIVER, Fla. (WFLA) — Friday marks one year since Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida.

Flooding destroyed homes and businesses in Citrus County.

Officials in Crystal River warned residents about storm surge, but the amount of flooding surprised those who chose not to evacuate. William Bunch, a Citrus County native, rescued families on his airboat.

“People are still in their houses, and we’ve just been running ack and forth, trying to rescue people,” Bunch said during the storm. “A lot of people we’ve seen on top of their vehicles. It’s crazy. I ain’t seen anything like this before.”

Bunch used his boat to show 8 Your Side crews the devastation in downtown Crystal River. Shops, restaurants and other businesses were inundated with water. Homes in nearby neighborhoods were filled with feet of storm surge.

Bunch said he still can’t believe the amount of damage he witnessed in the immediate aftermath of Helene. Now, he helps rebuild and repair homes affected by the storm.

“I think as a community, everybody is coming around getting along and getting everything back in order to where it was before,” he explained. “It will never be like it was, but at least [it can] get pretty close to where we used to be.”

According to Bunch, many owners are rebuilding their homes on stilts and taking other hurricane precautions. He said if another storm hits, he’ll be available to help the community.