Pinellas County barrier islands reopen for residents after Helene: 'These people lost everything'

MADERIA BEACH, Fla. - Those who live or work on the Pinellas County barrier islands are now able to get back on the beach after Hurricane Helene.

Access to the islands reopened for residents, business owners, and employees with a Barrier Island Re-Entry Permit around 4 p.m. on Saturday.

To gain access to the barrier islands, citizens must provide their Barrier Island Re-Entry Permit or photo ID and reasonable proof that they reside or have legitimate business on the barrier islands.

Examples of this include:

• Vehicle registration
• Property tax or utility bill
• Proof of employment (pay stub, work ID, uniform)
• Work orders

"It almost looked like a scene out of an apocalyptic movie at the time. With people walking with their luggage across the bridges, stumbling off," said Brian Carter.

On Saturday afternoon, it was bumper-to-bumper traffic on the Tom Stuart Causeway leading into Madeira Beach while debris and storm haulers rode off the island. The news was a huge relief for Linda and Paul Tilka who stayed in their Madeira Beach home during Helene.

READ: 9 found dead in Pinellas County after Hurricane Helene: PCSO

"Everything floated inside the house. We didn’t ever expect that where dressers have rolled over," shared Paul Tilka.

Around 2 p.m. on Thursday, they made the call to leave as five feet of storm surge rushed into their home.

"I mean people have died in our neighborhood. Just one street up I heard today two people died in their home," said Paul Tilka.

Before the bridges reopened, residents were already banding together through a Facebook page called "Rescue Pinellas," which Carter has helped coordinate.

He said, "I’m fortunate and I can. Me and my wife were out here today collecting all of the supplies and yesterday my neighbor and I went out with the boat."

READ: Pinellas County schools to reopen Monday except for three schools, superintendent says

Captain Bob Strawhecker is one of dozens of captains lending his boat from the dock at The Angry Pepper to help transport residents and supplies to the barrier islands. He said each person's story is just as heartbreaking as the next.

"I’ve mainly been going from Treasure Island to Redington Shores, Indian Rocks area. Went down to Sunset Beach today," he said. "There’s a lot of people that chose to stay. A lot of first-story homes that chose to stay….it’s bad."

Strawhecker said he's had to break down the doors of homes with two feet of standing water inside.

"Every time I drop somebody off it’s just another sad story to see. These people lost everything," said Strawhecker.

"Yesterday [Friday] we saved over 107 people, coming back with numerous pets. Right now, we have hundreds of people in operation," Carter shared.

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