Hurricane Helene wipes small town ‘off the map’ in Florida

Although the town was evacuated, the 500 people who saved their lives came back to homes and businesses destroyed by the Category 4 storm. “It’s heartbreaking,” Donna Landon told the New York Post. She suffered the total loss of her mobile home.

The Post toured Steinhatchee on Friday, which is located about 90 miles southeast of the state capital Tallahassee. There were few buildings not blown away by the storms and the ones that survived total demolition were heavily damaged. The human cost has been at least 45 dead.

“I don’t think there’s anyone who hasn’t been touched by this,” Landon said. “But this is a community where everyone looks out for each other.”

On Friday, power workers from four surrounding states lent a hand to get the electricity grid up and running but it all takes time. “It’s going to take weeks to fix it,” warned Russ Rhodes, looking at a broken power pole. “We’re basically going to have to start from scratch.”

The hurricane obliterated Roy’s Restaurant, a local business that had reopened only nine months ago after being hit by Hurricane Idalia in 2023. “Our employees are safe,” the restaurant’s manager said in a Facebook Live. “The restaurant didn’t fare as well. But that’s all right. We’re thinking of our community and our employees, and everyone who is affected out there. We love them.”

The restaurant’s owner, Linda Wicker, is ready to rebuild despite the double whammy. “I think we need to do that,” Wicker told the Palm Beach Post, noting that 30 workers are now without a job. Though she has insurance, it won’t cover all the losses.

“I’ve been in Florida all my life,” Nancy Belleville, 80, told the Post. “My entire life, and it’s never been this bad. But I’m still alive and everyone I love is still alive, so I’m grateful to God for sparing us.”