ENGLEWOOD – Until the power went out, sometime around 8 p.m., last Thursday, Sept. 26, Andy Sandberg, Artistic Director and CEO of the Hermitage Artists Retreat, could watch a live feed for Hurricane Helene’s storm surge overwhelm the six-acre historic campus at 6660 Manasota Key Road.

Residents of Siesta Key take stock of flooded homes and businesses just hours after up to seven feet of storm surge washed through the island.

As Hurricane Helene approaches Florida's Big Bend coast, the National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a dire warning, calling the expected storm surge "unsurvivable." The rapidly intensifying storm is forecast to make landfall on Thursday evening as a Category 3 or stronger hurricane and evacuations have been ordered for several Florida counties.

Storm surge is a bigger killer than wind when a major hurricane hits shore. The areas in the path of Hurricane Helene are more susceptible to surge than other parts of Florida's coast.

The winds might have died down as Hurricane Helene dwindles, but dangerous storm surge and flooding rivers in Florida are still a concern.

Neighbors in hard-hit Siesta Key are dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Helene as they begin the recovery process.

The damage from Helene took some Sarasota residents by surprise. One family who decided to ride out the storm and wound up scrambling to save what they could. “First I want to give the glory to God; it could have been worse,

Hurricane Helene's staggering storm surge inundated neighborhoods on Siesta Key, leaving businesses and residents with a long road to recovery.