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Titusville family planning non-traditional turkey day
Four feet of floodwater took over the Blinson family home, following unprecedented rainfall. Now, the house in Titusville is ripped down to the studs. This year, there is no table to gather at this Thanksgiving.
TITUSVILLE, Fla. - Four feet of floodwater took over the Blinson family home, following unprecedented rainfall.
Now, the house in Titusville is ripped down to the studs.
A non-traditional turkey day
What they're saying:
The family is now living on the second floor as they work to rebuild a harder task with the holidays approaching.
"There’s no floodwater anymore, but there’s also no rugs… no walls… no real floors," said Dawn Blinson. "You can now see obviously right through our entire house."
This year, there is no table to gather at this Thanksgiving, and instead of food, the kitchen is filled with fans and de-humidifiers.
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"This is what we’re working with," said Dawn Blinson as she toured the home. "This was the entry to our formal dining room… it’s kind of hard to look at our lives under tarps and plastic."
Christopher Blinson said he still plans to make his famous mac and cheese – just not at their house. The family will be heading to a friend's place for turkey day.
"We'll gather in the afternoon and try to act like a normal Thanksgiving and then, when that's done, we come back here," Christopher Blinson said. "Hopefully, we'll at least have walls like — that's the real hope is by Thanksgiving that we've got walls back up and maybe have a couple camping chairs down here."
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Despite the conditions, Christopher Blinson said he’s proud to see his family handle the situation in stride.
"I’m thankful my family is as resilient as they are," Christopher Blinson said. "They are rolling with the punches very well."
Rebuilding ahead of 2026
This year, the Blinsons said they are extra thankful for family, friends – and flood insurance.
"If you don't have flood insurance, definitely look into it," Christopher Blinson said. "It's not cheap, but we wouldn't be where we're at right now if we had to do this out of pocket."
The Blinsons hope to have a good portion of the house built back by Christmas but know it is going to take months to restore it to full livable condition.
"This is our home, and so we’re toughing it out like so many other people just getting by, day by day," said Dawn Blinson. "We’re just going to try and celebrate the best we can."
The Source: This story was written based on information shared by Christopher and Dawn Blinson.