Gulf County aftermath of Hurricane Helene

GULF COUNTY, Fla. ( WMBB ) – A mandatory evacuation order was put in place for everyone from St. Joseph Bay to North Garrison Avenue in response to the threat of Hurricane Helene making landfall Thursday night.

Thankfully, the county did not end up sustaining much damage from the storm. A portion of Highway 98 from Oak Grove Avenue to 9th Street was temporarily closed due to debris and water on the roadway, but crews quickly dealt with that.

Some residents are still without power and two businesses in Simmons Bayou sustained minor storm surges in their buildings.

One business located on County Road 30A just outside Port St. Joe also experienced flooding and they say their preparation may have ended up saving them thousands of dollars.

“We took the warning. They say they do it, don’t be scared to do it. We actually backed a semi in here and loaded everything up and that’s what we did. By doing that, we saved $25,000 or $30,000 just by taking it out,” Moore Family Business, Clint Moore said.

Gulf County Emergency Management has also informed the public that as of 8 a.m. Eastern time, all evacuation orders have been rescinded. At this time all roads in Gulf County are cleared and open.

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