Hurricane Helene. The St. Pete Pier, Tampa Bay, Florida, hours before Hurricane Helene made landfall, September 26, 2024. Hurricane Helene slammed into Florida’s Big Bend region late Thursday, bringing catastrophic storm surges which have destoyed buildings. Martha Asencio-Rhine Tampa Bay Times

A man and dog who were sailing off the coast of Sanibel Island as Hurricane Helene approached Florida were rescued by the Coast Guard on Thursday. The unnamed man had been about 25 miles from Sanibel Island when his 36-foot sailboat became disabled and began taking on water, the Coast Guard said on social media.

The U.S. Coast Guard saved a boater and his dog from dangerous waters near Florida’s Sanibel Island as Hurricane Helene approached Thursday. The storm, which made landfall as a Category 4 but weakened to a tropical storm by Friday morning,