- Steinhatchee faced at least 9ft. of storm surge from Hurricane Helene.
- Neighbors returned to an unrecognizable town, with debris and structures scattered everywhere.
- Watch the video to see how neighbors are faring with the destruction.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
I'm Kenya Cardonne in the Steinhatchee neighborhood where, unfortunately, the town is looking like a total washout after Hurricane Helene. People's livelihoods— leveled out across the town. We're talking to neighbors about how they're feeling after it all.
Todd Pinner, a Steinhatchee resident, said, “It’s heartbreaking, like, you grew up here. This is the town that built you and it’s gone and you feel like there’s nothing left hardly."
Hurricane Helene put Steinhatchee back at ground zero.
A town that was just barely getting back on its feet from Hurricane Idalia and Debby — now, once again an almost total washout from extreme storm surge.
Pinner added, “You have nothing to say. It’s devastating.”
Neighbors have been left speechless after seeing homes, businesses, docks and streets in shambles.
“This time we had about three feet, and so our sheds gone, mostly just outside stuff.”
Although we couldn’t quite get to it, neighbor Todd Pinner tells me he feels fortunate his elevated home made it through.
“Definitely seeing a lot more devastation than we have seen in our lifetime,” Pinner said.
He says evacuation was a no-brainer for him and his family.
“We already know people who passed away because they didn’t want to leave. Stuff can be replaced. You can’t.”
He adds, there’s something to be said about the pride of those who choose to stay time and time again. “They’re stubborn so that’s why they’ll rebuild but as long as they survive. Stubborn, hard-headed town, but that’s what makes us who we are.”
Neighbors tell me it will take months, maybe even up to a year, and maybe even longer than the recovery from Hurricane Idalia to recover from Helene.
In Steinhatchee, Kenya Cardonne, ABC 27
