Every local, state and federal agency had boots on the ground in Taylor County, one of the hardest hit counties in the Big Bend, on Saturday, as the second day of a long road to recovery continued.
Massive rains from powerful Hurricane Helene left people stranded, without shelter and awaiting rescue Saturday, as the cleanup began from a tempest that killed at least 56 people, caused widespread destruction across the U.S. Southeast and left millions without power.
Helene blew ashore in Florida’s Big Bend region as a Category 4 hurricane late Thursday with winds of 140 mph.
“I’ve never seen so many people homeless as what I have right now,” said Janalea England, of Steinhatchee, Florida, a small river town along the state’s rural Big Bend, as she turned her commercial fish market into a storm donation site for friends and neighbors, many of whom couldn’t get insurance on their homes.
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In the town of Perry, volunteers loaded boxes of food and supplies in cars as people who’ve lost power lined up to receive help.
Judy Hayworth said her home was spared, but some of her neighbors weren’t so lucky.
"We’re Perry strong, and we’re gonna come back," she said.
Storm relief came by the truck load to the communities across the Big Bend.
Doral based Global Empowerment Mission was one of the first to arrive.
"We have prepositioned trucks of humanitarian aid out in North Florida. They came in right after the storm, and today we’re distributing those out to the folks in cars here," she said.
From food and water to personal hygiene and cleaning supplies, families dealing with power outages are getting the help they need as they wait for the power to come back on.
In Steinhatchee, homes and longtime businesses have been destroyed.
Keaton Beach also saw widespread devastation, as boats were tossed onto land and some homes fell into the water.
Despite all the destruction and amid the grief, Hayworth said she’s grateful for the helpers who’ve shown up for them.
"We’re really thankful for all the help and everybody. God bless everybody. Thank y’all," she said.
Additionally, the Florida National Guard is conducting welfare checks on those who decided not to evacuate.
So far, no deaths have been reported in Taylor County, according to Gov. Ron DeSantis.
