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Clearwater father survives Hurricane Helene on roof, boat: 'Craziest night of my life'

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Published  October 1, 2024 11:42pm EDT
Pinellas County
FOX 13 News

Hurricane Helene: A Clearwater father's survival story

Genevieve Curtis reports

CLEARWATER, Fla. - As Hurricane Helene battered Florida's Gulf coast on September 26, thousands of Pinellas County neighbors endured a terrifying night. Among them was Tim Cook, who survived the major storm by climbing onto the roof of his home in North Clearwater Beach. 

"It was just the craziest night of my life," said Tim Cook.

It didn’t start out that way.

Pictured: Christina and Tim Cook. 

RELATED: Clearwater leaders urge tourists to avoid area during Hurricane Helene recovery: 'Please stay away'

"We've been lulled into complacency the last couple of years with all these storms," said Cook.

Thursday felt different, and the Cook family made the decision to evacuate. Cook's wife Christina, her mother, who is disabled, and their two daughters left. But, Cook stayed to try and mitigate any damages. 

"That was probably the dumbest thing I ever did in my life," he admitted. 

At first, the water crept up slowly, just as it had done plenty of times before, and he expected it to stay that way. But then, the water rushed in. 

MORE: Pinellas County death toll rises to 11 after Hurricane Helene: PCSO

"The water started coming in the house super, super fast. And the whole area looked like a rapid, like a rapids river," said Cook. 

He shut off the power, put life vests on both dogs and climbed with them to the roof as the wind wiped around them. Water reached the tops of palm trees, reality hit, and he recorded a message to his wife.

"I hope I make it. If I don’t, I love you. It’s a good life. I loved living down here. I think we’re going to be alright though," he said in that recorded message.

Then, as fate would have it, a rescue came. The boat he had anchored to the ground, floated to the corner of the roof and became his lifeboat.

READ: Pinellas Barrier Islands reopen as community tries to return to a sense of 'normalcy'

"The dogs and I walked off the roof and just stepped on to the boat. And then we sat on the boat for about three hours until the water started coming down," said Cook. 

From there he watched as a neighbor’s home burned.

"I heard this, ‘pop, pop, pop, pop.‘ And I turned my head, and the flames were as high as that three-story house," said Cook.

He said he meditated to stay calm as chaos swirled around him. Eventually, the water lowered and he got off the boat, to a home, ravaged.

MORE: Helene aftermath: What to do with the new mountains of sand on Bay Area beaches

"I think I was in shock for like two days after and just kind of traumatized," said Cook.

The family is clearing out the wreckage together, working hard to reclaim the house that Hurricane Helene tried to take.

"This is going to make us so much stronger. This is our entire life. But it's okay, we will get there, we are healthy," said Christina.

They are among hundreds in North Clearwater Beach who have lost nearly everything they own. Some don't even have a home to come back to, like their neighbor’s home, which burned to the ground. 

READ: Pinellas County debris removal plans after Hurricane Helene

"We need the help, we all need the help. It's insane," said Christina.

But after a night on the roof, Cook said they have everything that really counts.

"This isn’t our life," he said, pointing to all their belongings. "This is our life," he said, pointing to his wife and two daughters. "We don’t care about all of this, we just need help lifting it out and cleaning up the house."

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