A look at the damage: Anna Maria Island residents lost ‘everything’ to Hurricane Helene

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Anna Maria Island took the brunt of the damage in Manatee County, and WFLA News Channel 8 got a look at the damage on Holmes Beach with a ride along with Holmes Beach Chief of Police.

Driving through Holmes Beach, a popular destination that many locals call home, is nearly unrecognizable.

“It was shocking driving in and seeing all the piles of sand, and seeing how much sentiment was moved by the surge. It’s shocking to see what has happened,” resident Chad Bannick said.

Even with the storm’s strongest winds 100 miles offshore, the eastern edge of Helene was still powerful enough to damage almost everything on Anna Maria Island.

The storm tore through the doors and crushed the furniture of this living room inside a resort.

“It is no longer guest room 101, it is a sandcastle,” Holmes Beach Police Chief William Tokajer said.

As Manatee County residents return home following the aftermath of Helene, they said the storm showed no mercy.

“You see it on TV, you see the piles of stuff in people’s yards, you’re devastated, you don’t think it will ever happen to you, and here it is,” a resident in Holmes Beach said.

Parts of the Gulf are torn to shreds. For some families, everything they owned is now gone.

“It is bad, everything was lost,” resident Maria Vargas said.

“Worst I’ve ever seen. We had sandbags over a foot high, and the water came in up to 2 feet in our house and took everything out,” a neighbor said.

Only residents are allowed on Anna Marie Island with proper documentation and ID.

A curfew is also in place from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA.