2024-09-29 03:40:04
The death toll from Hurricane Helene climbed to nine in Pinellas County and two in Tampa as of Saturday afternoon, the bulk of fatalities from mandatory evacuation zones. Tampa Bay’s spate of local deaths accounted for an outsized number in the national scope of storm-related tragedy.
Most deaths appeared to be the result of drowning after water entered residences. Most victims were discovered surrounded or covered by debris.
Patricia Mikos, 80, died when she went back into her unit in Dunedin’s Honeymoon Park to retrieve her keys, and the structure collapsed and caught fire. A news release said the Dunedin Fire Department attempted to get to the residence, but could not due to the amount of rising water.
The purple vases and lawn ornaments Mikos was known for were still outside her pink front door Saturday afternoon, the rest of the home twisted and mangled. Neighbors said Mikos, who went by Patty, had evacuated and returned. She was beloved, they said, and the community is heartbroken.
Through neighbors, her family declined to comment. The street outside was submerged in murky water with traffic cones blocking passage. One onlooker clutched her face in anguish as she took stock of the damage from across the gulf.
Elsewhere, most deaths could be attributed to drowning. Jerome Waite, 89, was found drowned in his St. Petersburg garage. Donna Fagersten, 66, and 71-year-old Aiden Bowles were found drowned in their respective Indian Rocks Beach residences. Rachel Burch, 37, was found dead with water in her home in Treasure Island.
Marjorie Havard, 79, was found drowned in her St. Pete Beach home. Francis Wright, 71, was found drowned in his Madeira Beach home. James Thompson, 55, was found drowned in his Redington Shores residence.
The ninth victim’s next of kin have not been notified, but a news release said an adult male was found drowned in his Indian Rocks Beach residence.
A news release said the storm-related deaths are still under investigation by the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, Indian Shores Police Department, St. Petersburg Police Department, and Treasure Island Police Department.
All those who died were in mandatory evacuation zones, Gualtieri said in an interview Saturday morning.
Gualtieri said this storm was worse to the region from a casualty and devastation standpoint than most could remember and warned people to take heed to evacuation notices.
Tampa officials have reported two deaths related to the storm. A 23-year-old from Gibsonton was killed at 8 p.m. Thursday while the storm was still a Category 1. The victim was riding in a minivan when the 21st Avenue exit sign fell on the vehicle, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
On Friday, Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw said a neighbor discovered a woman in her 70s dead in her home. Police were still investigating the circumstances, but they knew water had entered her home and believed there may have been an electrical issue as well.
As of Saturday, Pasco County had no reported deaths, but a spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Office said rescue and recovery efforts were still ongoing.
The Helene death count in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia has reached at least 52 people, according to the Associated Press. This includes three firefighters, a woman and her 1-month-old twins and an 89-year-old woman whose house was struck by a falling tree.
At the mobile home community where Mikos died, neighbors pondered what happened, reflecting on past storms.
Sharon Murphy sat eating sandwiches and advising passing cars on the wet road. Murphy’s ripped-up carpet lay in a sopping heap on the grass.
“A couple people stayed here,” said Murphy, who has lived in the community 17 years and evacuated this time with the help of her granddaughter. “You never know.”
Murphy stayed in her home during Idalia and had no major flooding. Now her family was taking stock of the damaged property, pointing to the waterline of grime on the home.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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