It's the modern day equivalent of a ghost town, but we found out the spirit of its people is not dampened by the storm.
You may not know Warren Adams, but you've probably seen his house. It is the virtually the only thing left in Gilchrist, sitting proudly along the gulf.
"It looked like not really a hurricane went through here, but like a bomb just hit the ground and blasted everything away," said Adams.
The yellow house featured in newspapers and news broadcasts sits 19 feet above the sand. It's the only reason Adams thinks it's standing.
"Had the water been high enough to hit the side of the house, it would have done the same thing it did to all of these other houses," he said.
Mike Reilly is the contractor hired to build it.
"Engineering today is good enough today to withstand these storms," said Reilly.
Sid Johnson is Adams' neighbor and friend. He did not fare as well.
"Never hesitate to rebuild," said Johnson. "It's the coast. We love it."
But Johnson, like so many of the others who lost their homes and their belongings to the storm, say they will not go away. This is where they belong.
"Where you can see the sunrise across the ocean, the sunset across the bay, dolphins and fish all day long," said Johnson. "Just not too many places in America that you can have this."
So maybe next time, the yellow house on stilts won't be the only one left standing.
