Hurricane Helene: Hernando Beach residents, business owners return to extensive damage

HERNANDO BEACH, Fla. - Hernando Beach residents and business owners returned to extensive damage to their properties Friday morning after Hurricane Helene. They spent the day assessing the condition of their homes and beginning the gutting process. 

"It’s kind of sad, but we’ve all been through this before," said Jacob Lawson. "We always fix it, and it always gets better."

As of Friday afternoon, Hernando County Fire Rescue reported 28 water rescues countywide and seven fires, mostly from lithium batteries. The family-owned and operated Blue Pelican Marina on Osowaw Boulevard was in complete disarray. 

RELATED: More than a dozen people rescued in Hernando County

The marina's general manager, Christina Lothrop, said staff thought they did everything right by stacking sandbags and utilizing sandbags where they could before Helene. 

"Devastating. Absolute devastation. Everything that I thought was high enough, it was not high enough," she said. "I mean I moved computers up, customer’s folders, files, everyone’s information, everything is just destroyed. All of the products are destroyed."

Staff anchored boats and tied them together ahead of the storm. 

"They’re all piled into a mountain over there. It’s incredible. I’ve got boats missing. I’m missing like 10 boats," Lothrop said.

MORE: At least 7 killed in Bay Area during Hurricane Helene

Despite the odds, Lothrop said she is grateful. 

"At least we’re all alive. We came out of this with our lives. Stuff you can rebury, but a person's, you can’t."

Hernando County said power for most residents should be restored by Saturday afternoon.

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