(NewsNation) — An elderly Steinhatchee woman is braving Helene and surviving the wild conditions engulfing north Florida.
Ellen Denny spoke to NewsNation from her home Thursday, and again Friday after a wave of responses online to check on her well-being.
At the time of writing, 35 people have died as a result of the category 4 hurricane. The deaths extend beyond Florida and into the Carolinas and Georgia.
Denny has survived several hurricanes and at this time, has no plans to leave her trailer home despite the dangers. One sleepless night has not put her off leaving her abode.
“Thank you people for all the prayers and everything else, because I guess prayers do a whole lot of stuff because it’s unimaginable,” Denny told NewsNation on Friday.
“So many people, my friends my age, have lost their homes. I mean, with trees going on them and water damage and stuff, I am so fortunate. I really am.
“For a trailer, a 30-year-old trailer, to withstand what was thrown at it last night. I’m very fortunate, I really am. You know, there’s stuff that gets broken, the front porch and stuff. It’s all replaceable.
“I’ve been through a couple of these things and I just feel more comfortable,” Denny, a 30-year Steinhatchee resident, said Thursday.
“At this age. It’s not that easy to just pick up and leave. I don’t think I’m being stupid. That’s what people have said… But this is my decision, and it’s just, I just want to stay in my home,” she added.
Areas of Tennessee are also affected by Helene, with some residents in the aforementioned states without power and experiencing flooding.
In Florida, more than 1.24 million people are without power. One million outages have been reported in Georgia, alongside more than 1.1 million in South Carolina and more than 400,000 in North Carolina.