CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. — From downtown Punta Gorda to Manasota Key, several areas of Charlotte County were inundated from Hurricane Helene’s storm surge.
Prior to the storm, Charlotte County officials predicted about 3-5 feet of storm surge during Helene, but the official surge height could exceed their expectations.
Watch Fox 4's Alex Orenczuk report on Helene's Charlotte County impacts:
“It wasn’t just a surge, it was a one-two punch of surge,” said Brian Gleason, Charlotte County Communications Director. “We had the first round in the morning and up to about noon where water was overflowing the sea walls all over the county - then around 6 or 7 last night with the on shore breeze - the surge got even worse. We were expecting 3-5 feet of surge - we ended up with closer to 6-7 feet of surge.”
While the official storm surge measurements haven’t been surveyed yet, several Charlotte County residents, including Commissioners Joe Tiseo said the surge was something they’ve experienced before.
“In my 45 years in Charlotte County, we saw a surge like I've never seen before,” said Tiseo. “It's an event that I think most Charlotte County residents have not seen in their lifetimes.”
The surge was so severe that the City of Punta Gorda closed most of its main roads as they were impassable, and rerouted anyone trying to get through town to I-75. According to Gleason, the county received 287 calls for rescue, including 26 house fires.
In other low lying areas, like El Jobean, homes were flooded and vehicles were flooded.
“Yesterday was something I’ve never seen before in my life,” said Roy Marques, who lives in the area. “The houses down here are destroyed. One of the scarier things for me personally was, I came out onto my back porch and I saw all my belongings floating away along with everyone else's things, it was very alarming.”
Gleason told Fox 4 that the damage from Helene is still being assessed, and that residents can report damage through the county’s damage reporting system.
Additionally, the county is hiring temporary employees for positions related to storm cleanup and other storm-related duties. The positions offer “ an immediate start date and an hourly rate of $25.00, with work to be assigned at various locations throughout the county. No prior experience is necessary.”
The county will host a hiring event for those positions on Saturday, Sept. 28, from 9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. at 18500 Murdock Circle, Suite A-130, in Port Charlotte.
