Getty Image / Joe Raedle
Hurricane Helene battered my home state of Florida on Thursday and into the wee hours of Friday morning. Footage of damage throughout the state has been hard to watch but one shining spot has been the AquaFence deployed by Tampa General Hospital which can protect against a 15-foot storm surge and it held strong against the storm surge in Tampa Bay.
Areas of Tampa Bay were completely underwater. Friends have been sharing pictures of their homes with water so high its past their doorknobs on the homes of their front doors. Siesta Key was flooding unlike I’ve ever seen in my lifetime.
Hurricane Helene has now moved into the Georgia area where I’m currently stranded after dealing with multiple canceled flights trying to get home yesterday before the storm. In the time I’ve been at the airport this morning I’ve already had three flash flood emergency alerts as I hold out hope my flight which was supposed to get me home yesterday before lunch will not be canceled again and I can get back to my family… But I digress.
As #HurricaneHelene continues, the AquaFence at TGH stands firm. The water-impermeable barrier is designed to withstand storm surge up to 15 feet. It has worked through multiple rain events to prevent storm waters from impacting hospital operations. #WeAreTGH #StormWatch pic.twitter.com/papsd6oPg2
— Tampa General Hospital (@TGHCares) September 27, 2024
The AquaFence at Tampa General Hospital truly is an engineering marvel. It protects against a 15-foot storm surge and parts of Tampa Bay saw around a 7-foot storm surge but the most vulnerable population, those at the Tampa General Hospital, were safe due to AquaFence.
To the south, Siesta Key in Sarasota where I’m located dealt with a storm surge worse than I’ve experienced in my lifetime. This video was taken on Siesta Drive across the street from Siesta Key beach where there’s usually a few hundred hards between the waterline and the road. The Gulf of Mexico basically swallowed the island of Siesta Kay on Thursday evening with homes destroyed:
Absolutely insane stuff coming out of siesta key – they weren’t even hit directly by #helene pic.twitter.com/q9A7UkBqWY
— Frank Fighting For Freedom 🇺🇸 (@thinktankfranks) September 26, 2024
From Ft. Myers north to Tampa Bay, storm surge records were set from Hurricane Helene and mind you this is all hundreds of miles south of where Hurricane Helene made landfall in the panhandle with an estimated 15+ foot storm surge. I saw reports of recorded waves of 17+ feet near Siesta Key/Sarasota which is unheard of:
NWS
My heart goes out to everyone this morning waking up to devastation. I went through it with Hurricane Ian a few years back and know how hard it can be when the reality of what happens next sets in.