Hurricane Helene Leaves a Path of Destruction in Her Wake.
Days before the storm formed, forecasters warned of the probability of a large hurricane entering the Gulf of Mexico. Hurricane Helen quickly accelerated from a Category 1 to a Category 4 in 24 hours. While Tampa did not suffer a direct hit from the storm's center, a storm surge of up to eight feet came into Tampa and Hillsborough Bays and the Hillsborough River, causing millions of dollars in damage. These images are from one small corner of the Tampa area known as Davis Islands but represent the storm's destructive power as it hit the Bay Area.
Three boats are piled up in the corner of the Davis Islands Yacht basin following Hurricane Helene
Jeep Renegade tossed behind a dumpster
The road to the Davis Islands Yacht Club is blocked by debris washed up by Hurricane Helene
A Honda Goldwing, left behind during the storm, was covered by stormwater and dropped by this piling.
A Jet Ski was pushed under the entrance ramp of the Davis Islands Bridge.