Chicago couple watches Helene hit their Florida house from security cameras

CHICAGO (CBS) -- A Chicago couple with a home in Florida said while they prepared for the storm, they stayed in Chicago and watched the wrath of Helene and its impact on the video provided by their security cameras.

Helene came ashore Thursday night as a Category 4 hurricane with wind gusts up to 140 mph and a storm surge around 20 feet. In Tallahassee, boats were tossed in front yards.

"We knew pretty clearly early on that our area was going to be affected," said Ken Buckman.

Ken and Heide Buckman have been glued to their security cameras in Chicago as they watched the storm surge build from afar at the front door of their home in Bonita Springs, just north of Naples.

"It was kind of like a train wreck," said said Heide Buckman. "I couldn't stop watching the security camera."

"There were rivers that were going between the homes—a lot of cleanup," said Ken Buckman, "and we got a free couple feet of sand in the backyard. That was nice. We needed a little more sand back there."

The Buckmans said they learned the hard way from Hurricane Ian in 2022—their first hurricane—and they prepared this time around by moving all their belongings to higher ground.

"That's part of living on a coast," said Ken Buckman. "We're in Chicago. We get tornadoes here. If you live on the coast, that's part of what you've got to deal with, unfortunately—you know, just our area got hit twice in the last couple of years here."

Marlena Zak, who lived in Bensenville for over 20 years, rode out the storm at her home near St. Petersburg.

Meanwhile, Illinois first responders are helping with search efforts in North Carolina. Nearly 20 different fire departments in Cook and DuPage counties sent specially-trained members to help with search and rescue missions.

The Buckmans said they will be making the trip to their home in Florida next week to assess the damage and begin the process of cleaning up.