Florida residents brace for Hurricane Helene
As she navigates the waist-deep water that was once a road, Briana Gagnier shares with BBC News that in her twelve years residing on Holmes Beach, she has never experienced such a powerful storm surge.
"It looks like there's a torrent of whitewater rapids out there," the 29-year-old mentioned during the phone call.
"It's incredibly powerful, and you can observe everything being swept away—chairs, cushions, coolers, and trash."
Ms. Gagnier was getting a first look at Hurricane Helene, which was rapidly approaching Florida on Thursday night. Classified as a category four storm, it had wind speeds reaching up to 130 mph (215 km/h) and was labeled "extremely dangerous" by the National Hurricane Center.
Officials are cautioning that this could result in a "devastating" and "unbearable" storm surge, with floodwaters potentially rising to 20 feet (6 meters) high.
She observed the storm rapidly intensify, transforming from a tropical storm into a category four hurricane. Despite this, she felt it was important to remain at her one-story house located on a barrier island along Florida's Gulf Coast and do her best to safeguard it.
"The water has already made its way into our garage," she remarked. "We've placed sandbags at every entrance we can to try and keep it out."
Ms. Gagnier mentioned that as she walked through the area, she noticed that nearly every house along the coast had water entering inside.
"I often come across pictures like these on the news, but I've never encountered anything like this in my own backyard."
ML Ferguson, a resident of Anna Maria Island, informed BBC News that as the hurricane drew near, water was pouring into homes and businesses.
"The roads appear to be flowing like rivers," she remarked.
The waves swiftly flooded the beachside bar where she is employed, the Bridge Tender Inn Dockside & Tiki Bar, splashing against the sign and leaving piles of seaweed gathered around the tables.
"We have a strong spirit," she remarked. "We maintain the mindset that 'this will pass as well.'"
When she got back to her house, she noticed that the water was beginning to rise onto her porch.
"Oh my goodness, it's practically at the second step," she mentioned during a phone interview with BBC. "My home is at risk of flooding."
Ms. Ferguson hurriedly shifted a few tables to create space for placing items on them, aiming to protect her possessions from being damaged by the rising floodwaters.
While she was talking to BBC News, a vehicle passed by on her street, creating a wave of water that splashed into her home.
"The water is starting to come in," she said urgently before hanging up the phone and hurrying to address the situation.
Cainnon Gregg, an oyster farmer from Wakulla County in Florida’s Big Bend region, has been working hard over the past few days to safeguard his farm by submerging it into the ocean floor.
His farm had faced devastation previously when Hurricane Michael, a category five storm, struck the Florida panhandle in 2018. Mr. Gregg stated that he is committed to applying what he learned from that experience.
"With any luck—and there's no guarantee—the farm appears to be secure at the moment," he said. "But anything is possible."
To ride out the difficult times, Mr. Gregg intends to take refuge in his hometown of Tallahassee alongside a friend who has a safe place.
The city falls within the predicted route of the hurricane, and it hasn't faced a storm of this scale in quite some time.
"It really feels like a deserted place at the moment. Everything is shut down, and all the windows are boarded up," he remarked.
Denise O'Connor Badalamenti has experienced numerous hurricanes during her many years in Florida, but this time, Helene is making her feel more anxious than usual.
"This feels like it’s going to be the big one," the 62-year-old shared with BBC News from her home in Bradenton, located just a few blocks from the shoreline, as the storm approached its landfall.
"It seems like we're constantly in danger of being targeted, only to narrowly escape at the last moment. However, I really don't think we're going to be so fortunate this time."
Her mom's house has experienced flooding six times in the past, and today the water was already rising along their driveway. In an effort to prevent any water from coming in, her family has sealed all the doors with tape.
"This is truly enormous. It's intimidating," Ms. O'Connor Badalamenti expressed.
Heeding the advice of emergency authorities, she mentioned that she has gathered a variety of supplies and prepared different food items in case they experience a power outage.
"We're prepared for anything that comes our way."
Michael Bobbit, a clam farmer from Cedar Key on Florida's Big Bend, mentioned that some residents in his community have chosen to remain even with the alerts issued.
Mr. Bobbit, 48, shared with the BBC on Thursday, just before the storm hit, that the past few hours have been a chaotic scramble to urge people to evacuate.
“Here in Florida, we tend to have a mentality of just waiting it out, thinking it’s not a serious issue. However, this time is different; this is not just another storm.”
He mentioned that community residents have been making efforts to protect as many structures as possible by using sandbags, boarding up windows, and ensuring the island's clam farms are secured.
"The atmosphere is quite serious," Mr. Bobbit remarked.
Many individuals, as they depart from the island, embrace one another with tears in their eyes, expressing their hopes of returning to a place they can call home.
Mickey Moore, 54, has resided in his Tallahassee home for roughly 15 years, and the most severe impact he's experienced from a hurricane has been losing power.
He mentioned that this particular situation worries him.
His house is located approximately 20 miles (32 kilometers) from the Gulf of Mexico and is directly in the path of the storm.
"It's a category four—it's enormous," he remarked, pausing from a game of Monopoly with his wife and two sons.
"We've been lucky during previous storms," he explains. "We definitely appreciate it."
