Aftermath of Hurricane Helene in Sarasota and Manatee

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| Sarasota Herald-Tribune

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As the sun rises, Sarasota and Manatee officials and local residents begin assessing the damage from Hurricane Helene. What we know this morning:

According to the 7 a.m. briefing from the National Weather Service in Ruskin, the effects of Hurricane Helene's flood of storm water are expected to continue to be felt in Sarasota and Manatee counties through Friday afternoon.

The chance of flooding from Tampa Bay to the south is still low and ocean conditions will remain dangerous through the weekend.

According to the report, the threat of storm surge remains significant.

Storm surge for Sarasota and Manatee counties today is expected to be 3 to 5 feet above the mean high water line.

As of 12:30 a.m. Friday, a storm surge of 6.04 feet was recorded in Port Manatee, but had not yet reached its peak.

A tide gauge in Venice recorded a surge height of 5.38 feet late Thursday evening.

Sarasota County officials were just beginning to assess the storm's impact at daybreak and are urging caution because of downed power lines and trees.

Sarasota County first responders are actively participating in life-saving efforts and have requested additional resources to assist. There are still areas that are inaccessible due to flooding.

First responders from the city of Venice helped rescue 30 residents from coastal areas on Thursday.

Venice spokeswoman Lorraine Anderson reported that as of 8:15 a.m. some streets in coastal areas were still flooded by Hurricane Helene.

City crews are out Friday morning conducting door-to-door health checks and damage assessments.

Now, a tropical storm with winds of 70 mph that was located 65 miles east of Macon Georgia made landfall in Perry, Florida late Thursday evening as a Category 4 hurricane.

The highest recorded wind speed at Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport was 74 mph at 7:19 p.m. Thursday. At 8 p.m., Bradenton experienced a 60 mph wind gust.

A wind gust of 69 miles per hour was recorded in Venice at 3:55 p.m. on Thursday.

While the emergency room at Sarasota Memorial Hospital on St. Armands Key will be closed Friday, all other emergency rooms will be open Friday.

If you must travel on local roads, you may need to avoid downed power lines, avoid debris, and stay away from flooded areas. If you come across a malfunctioning traffic light, treat it as an intersection.

According to the Florida Power and Light Power Tracker website, 43,450 people are still without power in Sarasota County and 40,590 people are still without power in Manatee County.

More than 180,000 people were without power in the two-county area due to Hurricane Helene, but crews have restored power to more than 100,000.

The Siesta Key North Bridge at Siesta Drive and the John Ringling Causeway remain closed. Access to Anna Maria Island via Cortez Road and Manatee Ave. is closed in both directions, according to the Manatee County emergency road closure map. The Skyway Bridge also remains closed to traffic.

Due to the strain on water infrastructure from Hurricane Helene's storm surge, the City of Bradenton is asking residents to limit water use today and tomorrow.

Aftermath of Hurricane Helene in Sarasota and Manatee

ByVanessa

By Vanessa

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