Hurricane Helene, hundreds of miles away from the region in the Gulf of Mexico, managed to make its presence known to the entire state of Florida on Thursday.
Eying a late Thursday or early Friday landfall in the Big Bend area, where life-threatening storm surges of 18-20 feet were expected, the huge hurricane brought heavy winds and high waters to Charlotte and Sarasota counties during the day.
The long storm brought through several tornado warnings throughout the day, including one investigated that may have touched down between Cape Haze and Wellen Park late Thursday.
A tornado watch was in effect, and with a long tail, the hurricane could keep moments of harsh weather conditions cropping up for several days.
Roads in Punta Gorda and homes in El Jobean were flooded, along with neighborhoods from Nokomis to Harbour Heights, including Manasota Key and portions of Englewood, and Charlotte Harbor.
More than 20 roads in the city of Punta Gorda itself were closed by late Thursday.
A tropical storm warning was issued spanning from Babcock Ranch north through all of Sarasota County.
No area was unscathed, although it was a glancing blow of the storm that was forecast to become a major hurricane before landfall, perhaps as a category 3 or 4.
Roads to Manasota Key were closed, along with roads onto other barrier islands, while power flickered for thousands of residents. For a time, the U.S. 41 Peace River bridge northbound at Punta Gorda was closed due to weather conditions as well.
Nearly two years after Hurricane Ian destroyed much of Southwest Florida, a year after Idalia smacked the Big Bend area, and a few months after Hurricane Debby followed a similar — albeit less damaging path — the size of Helene caused some panic while others went out to the beaches for a peek.
Oscar Revilla left his Punta Gorda home Thursday to survey any damage and the high water in Charlotte Harbor.
"This is the highest I have seen the tides since Hurricane Charley," he said as he and his wife Lorena stepped over standing water and dodged waves crashing against the seawall.
"I was here for Charley and Ian," he said. "Punta Gorda right now is not too bad. I've seen it worse."
He said he has learned to take hurricane warnings seriously.
"I have hurricane windows. I stocked up on water and what we need," he said. "I take all this seriously."
Another hazard is downed power lines.
According to PulsePoint, wires were coming down throughout the region on Thursday afternoon, with damage along River Road, portions of Englewood, Rotonda, Nokomis and North Port. Thousands of people were reported without power.
More than 19,000 people were without power as of Thursday evening, with that number expected to spike Thursday night. FPL stated it was already working on the issues Thursday.
There were about 13,300 without power in Sarasota County; more than 5,300 in Charlotte County and another 100 in DeSoto County.
“We have crews positioned throughout the state," FPL President/CEO Armando Pimentel stated. "They are actively responding and restoring power and will continue to do so as the weather allows. We will not stop until every customer is restored.”
The company stated in the news release it has a plan.
"FPL has mobilized a restoration workforce of thousands, with crews actively restoring power when it is safe to do so," it stated. "Customers need to be prepared for potential widespread, extended power outages and continue to keep safety first."
Storm surges of 3-5 feet were announced through the region.
More than 275 people and more than 35 pets were being housed in Sarasota County shelters as of Thursday afternoon. In Charlotte County, more than 20 people and 25 pets were in its two shelters on Thursday evening.
The Sarasota-Bradenton Airport remained open much of Thursday, according to officials online, despite all flights being cancelled for the day.
Wind speeds of 54 mph were recorded around 2 p.m., according to the National Weather Service, leaving all flights to become grounded due to the airport's wind max policy.
According to an online post Thursday afternoon, SRQ was "open and operating as normal."
Punta Gorda Airport remained open as well, with departing flights still listed as "on time" into Thursday evening.
North Port Public Works and first responders worked on reports of down trees, according to city officials.
North Port residents can call the Emergency Call Center at 941-429-7000 if they see any debris.
Officials said some hazards may be on the roadway, but “significant” water on streets is not expected.
Authorities urged people to avoid driving in flooded roads and take precautions with their activities.
If a road is barricaded or flooded, don't drive down it, Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummell said during a 2 p.m. news conference Thursday. He said hazardous conditions due to flooding would continue after the storm passes.
"I really don't want to see my deputies or any other first responder be put in a dangerous situation because someone is doing something stupid," Prummell said. - John Hackworth, Chris Porter, Daniel Finton, Bob Mudge, Jess Orlando and Chloe Nelson contributed.
Local News
