The U.S. Coast Guard rescued a man and his dog during Hurricane Helene after their sailboat became disabled and began taking on water.
The unnamed man and his canine companion were stranded approximately 25 miles off Sanibel Island, Florida on Thursday, according to a statement from the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater.
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Authorities reported that the rescue was successful and both the sailor and his dog were safely brought back to land.
It remains unclear why the man was out on the water despite advisories and warnings issued ahead of Hurricane Helene’s landfall.
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The National Hurricane Center in Miami reported that Helene made landfall around 11:10 p.m. ET Thursday near the mouth of the Aucilla River in Florida’s Big Bend area, with maximum sustained winds estimated at 140 mph (225 kph).
Helene moved rapidly inland after making landfall, with the storm’s center expected to travel from southern to northern Georgia through early Friday morning. Forecasters warned that the risk of tornadoes would continue overnight and into the morning across north and central Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and southern North Carolina. Later on Friday, tornado risks are expected to extend into Virginia.
