10-9-24 Hurricane Helene

Hurricane Helene

Mangled rooftops and other debris lie in the street in downtown Lake City along Marion Avenue in the wake of Helene’s path. -Photo by Earl Green - See more photos at the end of this article.

By Tami Stevenson

Experts say Hurricane Helene was the largest hurricane to ever hit Florida’s Big Bend area in recorded history. It is the third hurricane to hit this area in the last 13 months. Debby (Cat 1) was just over a month ago, August 5, 2024 and Idalia (Cat 4) was August 30, 2023.

Helene was not only a massive category 4 hurricane, with 140 mph winds, but it was traveling a whopping 23+ mph when it made landfall near Perry, Florida, Thursday evening at 11:10 p.m., September 26, 2024.

Storm surge levels in parts of Taylor and Dixie Counties from Helene were estimated to reach 15 feet, although it will take several weeks to confirm these measurements.

By the time Helene reached Suwannee County, it was still wielding 120+ mph winds. Columbia County reported winds of 112+ mph. Nevertheless, it left devastation wherever it went.

Suwannee Valley Electric Coop and Clay Electric reported 99% of their customers were left without power. Trees were down everywhere and power lines left mangled, many businesses, homes and vehicles were destroyed, some from wind but many from falling trees.

Thousands of emergency volunteers from all over our great nation, along with SVEC, Clay Electric, law enforcement and other entities, came together and were on the ready to begin the massive clean up and recovery as soon as daylight hit on Friday.

By Saturday all the main roads and most of the secondary roads were cleared of fallen trees and power lines. It took about a week to restore power to residents. The power companies say that power has been restored to everyone that could safely have their power turned back on. They all did and are still doing an amazing job. Thank you for your service.

There were no lives reported lost in the North Florida area during Helene, thankfully, but as the storm made its way up through Georgia, Tennessee, the Carolinas and beyond, the death toll has risen to 227 across 6 states. That number may rise as rescue and recovery missions continue, especially in Asheville, NC, where the town was virtually wiped out by flooding. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all the hurricane victims and their families.

Now, less than two weeks from Helene where recovery efforts are still underway, Florida braces itself once again for Hurricane Milton.