The Big Bend and Panhandle are feeling the effects of powerful Hurricane Helene

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida residents directly exposed to Hurricane Helene are preparing for the impact.

Right on the water, about an hour south of Tallahassee, Michael Humphreys and his neighbors are hoping it won't be as bad as Hurricane Michael.

“It was just a mess, everything underneath the house slid out onto the street,” he said.

To the west in Apalachicola, some people were still leaving town Thursday as the water began to rise.

From there up through the state capital and along the Big Bend, most businesses closed early.

6 p.m. report:

Many houses were boarded up, and some residents even tried to secure their property with tape.

To protect the power plants from the storm surge, crews erected orange barriers.

In Tallahassee, resident Wynn said his concern was all trees.

“It will destroy the power lines and we will no longer have power,” he said. “The last time we had the tornadoes in May, I was without power for days.”

On Cedar Key Island, everyone Local 10's Christian De La Rosa spoke to said they were evacuating, but resident Anne Osteen said she was worried.

“Maybe I have a neighbor two houses away who they might live with,” she said. “What do we say: Prepare for the worst, pray for the best.”