- Neighbors are preparing for potential storm surge in Steinhatchee.
- What is forecast to be Hurricane Helene could push high water up the river.
- Watch the video above to see who is at risk and what they're doing to prepare.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Neighbors up and down the Steinhatchee River are getting ready for potential life- threatening storm surge. I’m Kendall Brandt in Steinhatchee. I followed up with one neighbor I spoke with after Hurricane Idalia and an area business owner to see how they’re preparing for yet another storm.
Lee Doucette says he keeps a close eye on the weather to protect his riverfront home.
"You've got to watch way in advance."
That's why he's been watching Helene since before the storm even had a name. Hurricane Idalia taught him a lot last year.
"We had four plus feet of water under the house, almost chest high. We had three inches of mud, four inches of mud in some spots."
I met him while he was cleaning out that mud last year. With Helene on the way, he tells me, "you've just got to prepare. You've got to prepare for everything. You've got to prepare knowing it's going to hit you because if you prepare that way, you'll be better off in the long run."
It's a similar story up the river. That's where I met Robert Vargo.
"It's really out of our control so we've got to prepare the best we can to keep things as safe as they can be." Vargo tells me he is going to board up the windows and take furniture inside of his new riverfront restaurant Vargos Pizza.
He says this will be their second hurricane since opening in July. Hurricane Debby just hit on August 5.
"We have a ton of inventory ready to go and now we're probably going to have to close for a few days and it's just uh really hurts the business."
Doucette tells me he will continue to watch the weather, prepare for the worst and hope for the best. "Let's hope everyone is spared, I don't know how that's going to happen but."
Keep in mind, surge during Idalia reached a record level of eight feet here in Steinhatchee. We'll be monitoring the surge forecast to see if we get anywhere near that this time around.
