Cat. 4 bullet grazes Tallahassee as hurricane alley takes another hit

Tallahassee dodged the proverbial bullet, narrowly missing Hurricane Helene’s eyewall — the worst of the storm’s winds.

The Category 4 storm smacked into the Big Bend Thursday night with a wrath the area has never before seen. The rain and wind left thousands without power.

Some of the hardest hit counties — Taylor, Dixie, Suwannee, Madison — were knocked completely off the grid, according to a USA TODAY power outage tracker. Others, like Jefferson and Wakulla, trailed close behind, with nearly but not all customers without power.

Here’s the latest from the aftermath of the storm:

Power struggle continues overnight in Tallahassee, Florida

About 500,000 Floridians will go to bed tonight without a night light.

In Tallahassee, about 10,000 people remain without power Friday night at 10 p.m. as reinforced city crews continue a large-scale restoration operation to connect customers to the grid.

At 6:57 p.m. the City of Tallahassee the city send out an update noting that “crews have restored power to 46,000 customers, and the electric grid is now restored to 86%.”

“Work will continue overnight and until power is restored to all customers,” the city wrote in its text. “With significant progress made today, greater than 90% percent of restoration is estimated to be completed early tomorrow morning.”

Talquin, meanwhile, reported that about 15,000 or 27% of its customers were in the dark at 10 p.m.

“At the height of the storm, we had more than 35,000 or 63% of meters without power,” Talquin stated in an update posted to its website. “Currently, 34% of meters are without power. Crews will continue to work diligently to safely restore service to all Members. We expect to reach 90% restoration system-wide by 10 p.m. Saturday.”

By comparison to Florida’s capital county, about 100% of customers have been in the dark since Helene hit in Lafayette, Hamilton, Madison, Taylor, Jefferson and Suwannee counties, according to the USA TODAY NETWORK power outage tracker.

The view from Madison County, which is 100% in the dark

Former Madison County football coach Frankie Carroll has lived in Greenville and on the same plot of land off I-10 his entire life.

Carroll, 66, rode out the hurricane with his wife and mother-in-law.

The entire county’s electrical power grid is offline. And while his home suffered minor structural damage, Carroll said “we are safe and that’s what matters.”

Carroll said the winds were much worse than the rain, adding a nearby neighbor’s barn and home were damaged.

“It blew the roof off his house,” said Carroll, who led the Cowboys to a state championship and recently retired from the Georgia school system.

Horseshoe Beach: ‘You can never imagine something like this’

HORSESHOE BEACH — In this small community that has been hit by multiple hurricanes in the past few years, most recently Idalia in 2023, dozens of homes were wrecked by the storm.

Some were shoved off their concrete footings, while others had their roofs flayed off by the wind.

The wind  and water also tumbled docks onto land, tore down chain-link fence, snapped telephone poles, and sent debris well inland of this small beach town.

After the storm ripped both of their staircases away, Bill and Debbie Dotson erected a tent beneath their home, planning to camp below because they can’t easily get into their otherwise undamaged house about 20 feet above.

Like many homes in Horseshoe Beach, theirs is built atop concrete footings to to keep them out of the flood waters. Idalia destroyed about 40 houses, and the Dotsons said they thought this storm caused more damage.

Bill Dotson, 67, said he gauged the floodwaters at around 15 feet, based on the damage to the top of his concrete pilings.

Last year Idalia destroyed one staircase and damaged the other. A local contractor had only recently finished rebuilding both sets for $15,000.

“We sure are grateful that it’s standing,” Debbie Dotson, 63, said.

Helene was their fourth hurricane since moving here in 2021.

“We came out here and saw this beauty and wanted to go fishing in our retirement,” Debbie Dotson said. “We had the discussion about hurricanes but you never imagine something like this. You just don’t.”

Leon County shelters closing, only one open at Al Lawson Center

Leon County has closed most of the shelters that were opened at local schools, according to the county’s Emergency Information Portal. All shelter operations have been consolidated at one location, Florida A&M University’s Al Lawson Center, 1800 Wahnish Way. The shelter does not accept pets.

City of Tallahassee electric repairs hit 77% restoration

The city of Tallahassee announced that it had achieved 77% restoration of its power grid as of about 2:30 p.m. Friday, less than 16 hours after Hurricane Helene made landfall in Taylor County.

“City electric crews, with support from mutual aid from 10 states, have restored power to 35,893 customers, and the grid is now 77% restored with crews continuing to work and on track to reach 90% restoration by 10 p.m. on Saturday evening.”

The scene in Steinhatchee (80 miles from Tallahassee)

STEINHATCHEE — From the posts she saw on Facebook about her riverside neighborhood, Lynn Padgett knew the damage might be dire at the house she’s called home for 41 of her 48 years.

She just didn’t expect it would not be where she had left it Thursday.

The house was located in a riverside neighborhood alongside other homes. Then Helene’s surge of water pushed it off its foundation and relocated it to the edge of a wooded area just down the way.

“This is the fourth time the river has flooded (the house) and the first time it’s washed my house away,” she said, chuckling, as she sat in her car with five Dachshunds and a cat.

She’s not laughing because it’s funny: not only does the Jiffy Food stop manager’s home not have flood insurance, but it’s not insured for wind either.

“Laugh, cry, I don’t know what to do,” she said. “We have nothing.”

The Jiffy store she works at in Steinhatchee is flooded out, too, she said. Her husband, 64, just started collecting Social Security and her father, 67, who also lives with them, along with her 18-year-old son, uses a wheelchair.

She was waiting in her car, hoping the water would go down enough so she could get to her house and maybe find Muffin the cat, who had climbed up a tree in fright.

But the waters hadn’t receded fast enough by Friday mid-morning.

“We can’t stay here,” she said. “I can’t have my father sitting in a car.”

Ironically enough, Padgett had considered renting the home adjacent to her street that a Georgia family rents on a short-term basis to ride out the storm. Friday, that house also had been knocked from its 5-foot pillars onto the other side of the street.

“I’m glad we didn’t do that,” she said.

— Anne Geggis, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida

Florida State University to resume normal operations Monday

Florida State University President Richard McCullough announced Friday that the Tallahassee campus suffered only “minimal damage” from Hurricane Helene.

“As a result, we plan to resume classes and normal university operations on Monday, Sept. 30,” McCollough said in a post on X/Twitter. “We understand that some students, faculty, and staff may still be dealing with personal challenges or face difficulties returning to campus, and we will make accommodations and offer support for those in need.”

The university said power has been restored to the majority of campus.

“University administrators are aware that some students living off campus, as well as faculty and staff, may not yet have power in their homes,” FSU said in a post on X/Twitter. “City of Tallahassee officials are confident that most of the city will have power restored before Monday.”

The university went on to say, “Instructors are encouraged to be flexible with students who may not be able to return to campus by Monday. Supervisors are encouraged to be generous in approving annual leave for employees who are unable to return to work in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. FSU reminds everyone to please travel safely.”

‘We build back’: Steinhatchee residents face latest hurricane blow with resolve

STEINHATCHEE — Her riverside home is destroyed, eight of the 24 riverside rental units she owns were flooded, and the electrical system powering the riverside marina building may have been fritzed.

And still, Danielle Norwood, 59, owner of the Sea Hag Marina that fronts the Steinhatchee River along Riverside Drive, was smiling somehow as she pointed to a concrete floor that had crumbled.

“I think I’m stunned at this point, I can’t release a lot of emotions,” she said. And then she paused.

“We’ll build back,” she said. “We’re those kind of people.”

The build-back is familiar territory for Norwood. Last year’s Hurricane Idalia destroyed $1 million worth of docks and flooding shorted out the building’s electrical system. To avoid a repeat, Norwood moved the electrical system to a second floor in the building, but Helene’s nearly 10-foot storm surge appears to have shorted it again.

On the floor below, a wooden bar was still standing, however, even if the TVs above it had a line across the screen showing how far the water had risen.

The good news for Norwood is that Helene’s fury spared the feral cats who prowl the marina grounds — and the docks that were so badly torn up by Idalia.

— Anne Geggis

At least 22 deaths attributed to Hurricane Helene

At least 22 storm-related deaths have been reported in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina, according to a USA Today report.

In Florida, at least seven deaths were attributed to the storm. In Pinellas County, five people suffered storm-related deaths, said Cathie Perkins, director of emergency management, at a news conference Friday.

Earlier Friday morning, Gov. Ron DeSantis told reporters a person died in Dixie County after a tree fell on a home. On Thursday night, someone was killed in a storm-related traffic crash in Ybor City.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said at a news conference Friday that 11 people were killed during the storm, including a first responder.

— Thao Nguyen, Christopher Cann, Trevor Hughes

Power outages in Leon County at 59K; statewide outages still over 1M

More than 1 million electric customers across Florida were still in the dark as of noon Friday, a little more than 12 hours after Hurricane Helene roared ashore along the Taylor County coastline.

In Leon County, 59,216 or nearly 39% of accounts were down, according to the Florida Public Service Commission’s noon outage report. Some 44,247 or 35% of city of Tallahassee customers and 14,903 or 57% of Talquin Electric customers had no power.

Here are outage numbers for other Big Bend and Nature Coast counties:

• Dixie County, 10,537 or 99.56% of customers

• Franklin County, 2,466 or 21.63% of customers

• Gadsden County, 3,928 or 17.22% of customers

• Jefferson County, 8,738 or 99.46% of customers

• Lafayette County, 3,674 or 81.61% of customers.

• Madison County, 11,544 or 100% of customers

• Suwannee County, 24,911 or 99.63% of customers

• Taylor County, 13,969 or 99.87% of customers

• Wakulla County, 15,896 of 86% of customers

FEMA says it’s focused on lifesaving, life-sustaining response

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is on the ground in Tallahassee and other parts of the Big Bend as they begin recovery efforts, FEMA Deputy Administrator Eric Hooks said in a Friday conference call with reporters.

Hooks said that the current focus of FEMA is “lifesaving and life-sustaining response” and conducting preliminary damage assessment, much like they did following the May 10 tornado outbreak.

The city and FEMA work together to conduct the assessment to determine the extent of the disaster, its impact on individuals and public facilities, and the types of federal assistance that may be needed.

Once that is completed, FEMA can start taking applications for its Disaster Assistance Program, he added.

— Arianna Otero

A record storm surge in ‘destroyed’ Steinhatchee with ‘houses split in half’

STEINAHATCHEE — Before Friday morning’s light showed boats in yards, homes flattened and docks thrown from the river into roads, 22 members of the Florida State Guard Special Missions Unit were wading through the mud on the south side of Steinhatchee River’s banks, looking for anyone who needed rescuing.

Hurricane Helene struck Thursday evening, making landfall not far away in Perry. In Steinhatchee on Friday, what was dry land only hours earlier lay submerged in 40 to 50 inches of water, said Jordon Bowen, commander of the unit, as he gazed down a road that now looked more like a river. The small town in the Big Bend area took on 9.63 feet of storm surge, a record.

“We have four different skiffs cruising through the neighborhood,” Bowen said, scanning the southeast side of Steinhatchee. “We’re searching all the area to make sure no one’s out there.”

So far, no one needed help. The search effort also included the National Guard, the Coast Guard, Taylor County sheriffs and Florida Urban Search and Rescue Task Force 2. However, the overall situation looks bleak, according to Bowen.

“It’s destroyed,” Bowen said, indicating an area that’s about the size of 27 football fields. “Not accessible, debris, lots of hazards, downed power lines, houses cut in half.”

-Anne Geggis

Residents of Steinhatchee in utter disbelief

STEINHATCHEE — Among the hardest hit areas was this small town along a river emptying into the Gulf of Mexico

Friday morning, John Kujawski drove a golf cart with his wife, Jamie Lee, over debris and around downed trees, horrified at the damage.

Last year, Hurricane Idalia whacked the town, and workers were still clearing up that mess when Helene arrived.

“This is overwhelming,” Lee said. “I don’t think it’s sunk in. Like, holy (expletive).”

Navigating their bumpy way along Riverside Drive, the couple pointed out guest houses that had been flattened, docks and boat shoved ashore.

They noted whose new roofs were destroyed all over again, and mourned the damage to a newly opened pizza restaurant.

“They probably had only sold $200 worth of pizza,” Kujawski said. “This is awful.”

— Trevor Hughes

Tallahassee city bus service resuming at 2 p.m.

The city of Tallahassee announced that “StarMetro service will resume today, Friday, Sept. 27, at 2 p.m. on a Saturday schedule.”

Almost 2,000 sheltered at Leon County schools

Leon County Schools released an update Friday morning that “disaster response teams will begin visiting schools to check for damage this morning.

“Once they report back, we will inform our principals about their findings. If given the OK, our principals will then visit their school to give a final inspection. For more information on the LCS after-storm response click here: https://www.leonschools.net/weatherupdates.

“The superintendent’s leadership team will meet this afternoon and we will provide a further update after those meetings and inspections. The final count from our shelters was: 1,853 people and 304 pets. There will be a lot of clean-up at those sites over the weekend.”

— Jim Rosica

‘No rhyme or reason’ for Tallahassee’s streak of good fortune and Taylor County’s misfortune

Helene, the most powerful hurricane on record to strike Apalachee Bay and one that threatened Tallahassee with a direct hit, made landfall to the east instead late Thursday, bringing more destruction to a storm-weary part of North Florida.

The National Hurricane Center said Helene officially made landfall at 11:10 p.m. just east of the Aucilla River and about 10 miles west-southwest of Perry.

The hurricane, with fierce 140-mph winds at landfall, was the third to barrel into the Taylor County coastline in just 13 months and plunge that part of North Florida into darkness and misery. Unbelievably, all three landfalls were roughly 23 miles apart in Taylor County.

“I would say it’s rather incredible,” said Jasmine Montgomery, meteorologist with NWS Tallahassee. “There’s no rhyme or reason to it. These storms, more or less, developed in the Caribbean, moved up through the Gulf of Mexico and kept going until they hit land. It’s just the Gulf Coast is prime real estate for a hurricane.”

Read the full story here.

As dawn breaks, extent of Big Bend surge, damage coming into focus

Dawn broke Friday morning over a battered and sudden Big Bend region of Florida after hurricane Helene roared ashore overnight.

The sharp smell of pine filled the air, an artifact of the hundreds of snapped trees lining roads between St. Marks and Perry.

Emergency workers flooding into the area, wove around downed trees along U.S Highway 98 as sheriff deputies, limited access, and patrolled for possible looting.

In the tiny community of St. Marks, about 20 miles south of Tallahassee, floodwaters had reached the front of the U.S Post Office building, about 3/10 of a mile from the St. Marks River, which flows into the Gulf a few miles downstream.

Some residents had planned to ride out the storm in their homes or aboard fishing boats tied up at the marina. They could not be immediately reached Friday morning, although cellphone service in the area was working.

‘A lot of prayers’: Taylor County residents begin to take stock

TAYLOR COUNTY — Outside Perry, longtime resident Donna Parker, 80, watched as her grandson cut up a toppled palm tree with a chainsaw.

Parker has lived in her house since 1985 and has never left for a hurricane, the names of which she can still rattle off.

“The wind, it was bad. But I’ve had worse. We’ve really had worse. I’ve had it where my whole front yard was a lake,” she said.

“A lot of prayers, I tell you, when the wind come up. But the good Lord looked after us.”

–Trevor Hughes

Tallahassee crews start restoration

Power restoration and road clearing began overnight, according to a city update.

Initial assessments show:

• 50 roads blocked by downed trees

• 53,000 customers without power

• Nine transmission lines, six substations and 46 circuits are out

“Crews continue to assess damage and make repairs,” the city said.

Leon County nearly misses Hurricane Helene’s worst

Leon County officials say the capital county and city were spared from Hurricane Helene’s eyewall — where the worst of the winds stirred.

The National Weather Service and the Hurricane Center clocked 140 mile per hour winds in the eye wall, said Emergency Management Director Kevin Peters.

It’s too early to tell the extent of the damage brought on by the Category 4 storm that made landfall just 30 miles east, said Leon County Administrator Vince Long, but the number of calls to the Consolidated Dispatch Agency were lower than normal nights.

“These early hours here will really tell the tale for us as we go forward and really try to figure out the extent of damages in the community,” Long said.

He said calls through the night were mainly to report down trees or sparking power lines spotted.

So far, crews have cleared 50 roads with down trees and more assistance and assessment will take place after sunrise, Peters said.

The emergency activation “was extensive,” Long said. “We have a lot of experience, unfortunately, with hurricanes,” he said. “Since 2016 we’ve had six.”

Both officials noted how well the community responded to the city and county’s messaging efforts. A mandatory evacuation was ordered for RVs and mobile homes, and the county-provided shelters housed 1,600 people, Long said.

With the worst of Helene behind Leon County and Tallahassee, the goal is to repair Helene’s damage as quickly as possible and stay on top of any future storms during the final month of hurricane season.

“Helene is done with us, but hurricane season is not,” Long said.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Live: Hurricane Helene impacts, damage in Tallahassee, Big Bend