When a natural disaster strikes, it can affect an area in many different ways. People have been evacuated from their cities and never returned.

But a new program in Flagler County is aimed at getting victims back on their feet without having to move too far from home.

Carol Fisher has spent nearly seven years building her business from the ground up. The BeachHouse Beanery and Café is on a prime piece of land looking out at the Atlantic Ocean in Flagler Beach.

What if a natural disaster, like a tropical storm or hurricane, hits the area, though?

"If we're hit, we are going to be wiped out," said Fisher, the owner of the BeachHouse Beanery.

If Fisher's business — and home — are indeed wiped out, what's next? Like we've seen in past disasters, people move away and sometimes don't come back.

"If we don't return to our community and start rebuilding the infrastructure within 30 days, there's a good chance that the community will never come back," said David Alfin, a real estate agent in the area.

Added Fisher: "We don't have an alternative plan. We don't. If this gets wiped out, we would just have to start over some place."

But why couldn't that some place be existing empty space in the county?

The Flagler County Association of Realtors is working with Flagler County Emergency Services to keep a database of available commercial and residential properties that would be available for evacuees.

That would enable people like Fisher to get open and start to make money to help her recovery.

Emergency managers in Flagler County have seen many instances where it's important to get communities back to normal following a natural disaster.

"We see places like Joplin, Missouri, and we see Tuscaloosa, Alabama, after those tornadoes hit them and how they engaged that community — became part of the whole community process," said Kevin Guthrie, director of Flagler County Emergency Services.

The challenge, of course, is keeping up with potential demand as growth picks up. Not as many vacant homes and storefronts may be available.

Real estate agents, however, said they keep their list current to the minute so the program can be more valuable.