Briana, a resident of Holmes Beach near Sarasota, had stayed behind to protect their one-story house by placing sandbags at the doors and moving belongings to higher furniture. They even used towels to block the water. But then a loud bang came as the garage door burst open due to the storm surge, and water quickly rose to their shoulders, prompting a frantic escape.
“Everyone was screaming and panicking,” she told the BBC. “Whatever your worst idea of what this storm is — that is what we’re seeing.”
Briana is among many Floridians along the Big Bend Coast dealing with the aftermath of Helene, a powerful Category 4 hurricane that made landfall Thursday evening before weakening to a tropical storm inland. Millions lost electricity Friday morning, and the storm has been linked to several deaths in the region.
In some coastal areas, storm surges were forecast to reach 20 feet (6m), equivalent to a two-story building. At least one person died in Florida when a road sign fell on their car, while two others died in Georgia due to a tornado that overturned a mobile home.
Footage from the aftermath shows flooded neighborhoods and submerged cars, leading to multiple rescue operations. In one instance, the US Coast Guard rescued a man and his dog after their sailboat began taking on water 25 miles off Sanibel Island.
Residents witnessed relentless waters flooding homes and businesses as the hurricane approached. ML Ferguson, a resident of Anna Maria Island, noted that the roads had turned into rivers. Upon returning home, she discovered it was flooded, with water reaching the second step of her porch.
After Briana swam out, she and her family ran to a neighbor’s house, where they rescued two elderly people from a home that had caught fire, likely due to a golf cart battery.
Looking around, she saw furniture and even a car floating by. “I just can’t believe this is real. The eye of the storm didn’t even hit us straight on,” she said. “This island is completely devastated. Everywhere I look, devastation.”
In Tallahassee, some residents like Cainnon Gregg took shelter to ride out the storm. Determined to protect his oyster farm, he had sunk it into the ocean bed. Having previously lost his farm during Hurricane Michael in 2018, he was hopeful it would remain safe this time, stating, “Hopefully, and nothing is for certain, the farm is sitting nice and safe on the bottom. But anything could happen.”
