From downtown Punta Gorda to Manasota Key, several areas of Charlotte County were inundated from Hurricane Helene’s storm surge.
Prior to the storm, Charlotte County officials predicted about 3-5 feet of storm surge during Helene, but the official surge height could exceed their expectations.
Watch Fox 4’s Alex Orenczuk report on Helene’s Charlotte County impacts:
Charlotte County.“It wasn’t just a surge, it was a one-two punch of surge,” said Brian Gleason, Charlotte County Communications Director. “We had the first round in the morning and up to about noon where water was overflowing the sea walls all over the county – then around 6 or 7 last night with the on shore breeze – the surge got even worse. We were expecting 3-5 feet of surge – we ended up with closer to 6-7 feet of surge.”
While the official storm surge measurements haven’t been surveyed yet, several Charlotte County residents, including Commissioners Joe Tiseo said the surge was something they’ve experienced before.