Hurricane Helene death toll rises to 12 in Pinellas County

By FOX 13 News Staff
Published  October 2, 2024 3:08pm EDT
FOX 13 News
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TREASURE ISLAND, Fla. - At least a dozen lives were lost in Pinellas County as a result of Hurricane Helene. 

The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office announced the death of a 12th resident on Wednesday afternoon. 

Officials said Margaret McGarigle, 93, of Treasure Island, was recently found deceased in her home. According to investigators, McGarigle drowned when water entered her home. 

Hurricane Helene left a devastating path of destruction along Florida's west coast before it made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane in the Big Bend area. 

READ: Pinellas teacher dies in dangerous storm surge caused by Hurricane Helene

The barrier islands of Pinellas County were hit hard by Helene. 

The sheriff’s office said all the deaths occurred in areas of mandatory evacuation Zone A. 

The 12 victims have been identified as: 

  • Steven Boelsche, a 95-year-old from Pinellas Park
  • Aiden Bowles, a 71-year-old from Indian Rocks Beach
  • Rachel Burch, a 37-year-old from Treasure Island
  • Dominic Dewitt, a 60-year-old from Indian Rocks Beach
  • Donna Fagersten, a 66-year-old from Indian Rocks Beach
  • Joseph Galinski, a 67-year-old from St. Pete Beach
  • Marjorie Havard, a 79-year-old from St. Pete Beach
  • Margaret McGarigle, a 93-year-old from Treasure Island
  • Patricia Mikos, an 88-year-old from Dunedin
  • James Thompson, a 55-year-old from Redington Shores
  • Jerome Waite, an 89-year-old from St. Pete
  • Francis Wright, a 71-year-old from Madeira Beach

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