Anna Maria residents prepare for Hurricane Helene impacts

Anna Maria Island was quiet on Wednesday with many tourists and residents appearing to heed the mandatory evacuation order.

A mandatory order went into effect for zone A in Manatee County at 10 a.m. Wednesday.

But some locals are still choosing to ride out the storm.

“I’ve always stayed during the storm. It can be scary and there have been a couple times I wish I did leave,” Anthony Stombaugh said.

But Stombaugh won’t be staying home. Instead, he’ll be riding out the storm on the third floor of Waterline Vistas and Marina, where he is the general manager.

“I feel better being up higher because the flooding here on the island, like I said, does get really, really so feel like the higher you are, the safer you are.”

He worries about Surge getting into his home, which is a single-story house.

“Our road on Avenue C floods super, super bad so we sandbag and do all the prep like we do here at the resort.”

“The roads where I live, before people were kayaking so it does get a little nerve-wracking. Thank goodness I do have neighbors that keep me informed on what’s going on over there.”

The hotel meanwhile has closed, but some workers were installing a flood barrier around the building on Wednesday. Stombaugh had the custom shutters made before the Marriot property opened.

Surge from past storms have come up over the docks and pool, coming up the steps on the back entrance to the lobby.

Nearby, Holmes Beach resident William Flinn is also worried about the storm surge.

“We have never really had any wind damage and it doesn’t look like we will get any from this storm. But water is the number one concern,” Flinn said.

Flinn and his wife have evacuated for some storms but stayed for others in the eight years they’ve lived there. While she away on business, he is still planning on riding out the storm at home along with a buddy who also lives on the island.

“We’re tracking it very closely. But I have a go-bag and supplies if I need to go,” he said.

His street doesn’t flood as much as others in his neighborhood, but it did during Hurricane Idalia.

“Pray, what I can say? There is nothing I can do about the storm surge.”

Stombaugh was charging his electric car on Wednesday. Electric cars are a fire hazard if they flood during a storm.

We are going to do the best we can to keep it away from the water, but that’s in somebody else’s hands.”

Manatee County officials have said water service to the island could be cut off as soon as 6 p.m. Wednesday. This is typically done during hurricanes as a precautionary measure to help protect the infrastructure from storm surge.

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ABC Action News meteorologist Shay Ryan provides an update on Hurricane Helene and its expected impact on the Tampa Bay area.