TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — In Pinellas County, nine people lost their lives during Hurricane Helene.
The Pinellas County Sheriff’s office said all nine people were in evacuation zones but refused to leave before the storm. In each case, the sheriff’s office said it appears the victims died of drowning.
Hurricane Helene: At least 11 killed in storm-related incidents across Tampa Bay
One of the victims was Marjorie Havard, 79. She lived in a one-story home on St. Pete Beach.
Her neighbors say she had mobility issues but still refused to leave her home.
“She was a nice lady, she was very stubborn. If she didn’t want to leave, she was not going to leave,” said neighbor Saralynn Premer.
The Premer family had several feet of storm surge in their home and escaped to a second floor during the hurricane.
“We were lucky to have things on a second floor, so we started running things up as fast as we could, but almost all of our appliances, all of our furniture, all of our fridges, if they didn’t flip over, then they were destroyed,” said Premer.