STORY: :: Aerial footage shows the damage caused by Hurricane Helene in Florida
:: September 27, 2024
:: Steinhatchee, Florida
Helene hit Florida’s Big Bend region as a powerful Category 4 hurricane on Thursday at 11:10 p.m. ET (0310 GMT on Friday) packing 140 mph (225 kph) winds. It left behind a chaotic landscape of overturned boats in harbors, felled trees, submerged cars and flooded streets.
The extent of the damage in Florida began emerging after daybreak.
In coastal Steinhatchee, a storm surge – the wall of seawater pushed ashore by winds – of eight to 10 feet (2.4-3 meters) moved mobile homes.
The city of Tampa posted on X that emergency personnel had completed 78 water rescues of residents and that many roads were impassable because of flooding. The Pasco County sheriff’s office rescued more than 65 people overnight.
Officials had pleaded with residents in Helene’s path to heed evacuation orders, describing the storm surge as “unsurvivable”, though some had stayed put.
Source Agencies
