Along the crisscrossing streets of Shore Acres, homes were tied together by a devasting string — waterlines at least 4 feet high marking low-level homes. On Friday afternoon, residents were assessing damage from Hurricane Helene’s record overnight storm surge.

Shore Acres took one of the hardest hits from Helene, hardening homes ahead of the storm wasn't enough for many in the area.

Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater will experience hurricane-force winds and catastrophic storm surge due to the storm’s huge wind field, despite being far from the forecast landfall region.