Ernest Shaw and his family are one of hundreds in Princeville who still cannot go home. Even with the floor and ceiling removed, the house's wooden framework will take weeks to dry out.
He says he will not move back in until he is sure the mold will not return.
"I guess that's the reason why I use 100 percent Clorox to really get that taken care of," Shaw said. "I do have a phobia about the bacteria as far as being here."
For now, Shaw and his three children are sharing a home with a relative.
Adapting has been tough because Shaw's son, Kenrick, suffers from cerebral palsy and relies on a wheelchair to get around.
The Department of Correction worker hopes the family can soon move to a temporary mobile home.
"Right now, I am a widower, and I am really bearing the responsibility myself of making sure he is being taken care of," Shaw said. "That's my priority right now. I do have two other girls which helps out well around the house and as far as my son is concerned, and they work real well with him."
For now, Shaw plans to put every spare hour into restoring his dream home.
His oldest daughter, Shaveda, who just returned from college for Christmas was expecting Princeville's recovery to be much farther along than this.
With a seemingly endless amount of work to be done, she says the road to recovery will be much longer than more residents expect.
It still looks the same as before," Shaveda said. "There is nothing new and nothing different. Everything is basically in the same place."
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