Residents in Florida returned to their homes with shock and sadness Friday as they began picking up the pieces from Hurricane Helene’s trail of destruction.
Keaton Beach, located north of Clearwater, took a very hard hit, with boats being tossed like toys and then stranded in the middle of flooded streets.
Hurricane Helene destroyed entire blocks in Keaton Beach, Florida.
WPLG
Fonda Neel, a Keaton Beach resident, told ABC News that her home, which she called her happy place, was now gone.
Hurricane Helene destroyed entire blocks in Keaton Beach, Florida.
WPLG
“It’s devastating,” she said. “It’s hard to think.”
Further south, a 10-foot storm surge tore apart sections of Cedar Key. In Treasure Island, located on a barrier island adjacent to St. Petersburg, the storm sent boats over 200 yards to come to rest on a four-lane causeway.
In the town of Perry, about an hour southeast of Tallahassee, the storm destroyed power transformers and ripped the roofs off of houses.
Scott Bembry talks with ABC News’ Victor Oquendo about the damage caused by Hurricane Helene.
Scott Bembry, a Perry resident, stayed in a church shelter to ride out the storm, a decision that he said he would never make again.
“I wouldn’t advise anybody to stick around for one of these storms. Evacuate when it’s time to evacuate,” he told ABC News.