Florida Island Starts Long Clean-Up After Hurricane Helene

AFP/APP
Treasure Island: Michael Ward — who has lived on Treasure Island, off Florida’s Gulf coast, for 33 years — decided to ride out Hurricane Helene despite an evacuation order. It was a decision he quickly regretted.
Instead of joining his wife at a friend’s home inland, the 67-year-old Ward stayed behind. As torrential rains caused flooding, he feared electrocution in his one-story home, but the storm surge trapped him inside, making it impossible to open the door.

Ultimately, he escaped by climbing out of a window. Waist-deep in murky water, he walked about half a mile to a neighbor’s two-story house, where he spent the night.
“I can’t believe that it happened. I have lived in Florida for 44 years, and too many times the news reports about these storms turn out to be wrong,” Ward told AFP. “I guess we ran out of luck.”
Treasure Island is part of a series of barrier islands across from Saint Petersburg.
Late Thursday, Helene claimed one life in this city of 6,500 residents, which is primarily home to retirees and wealthy professionals. Overall, the storm killed dozens across the United States.
The storm surge reached nearly seven feet (2.1 meters). Sidewalks are now covered in mud, and random objects — couches, beds, refrigerators, and doors — dislodged by the flooding are scattered in front of homes.