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Pinellas teacher dies during Hurricane Helene
Kylie Jones reports
INDIAN ROCKS BEACH, Fla. - Hurricane Helene is gone, but it left a mark on the Tampa Bay area that will not be forgotten. The barrier islands of Pinellas County took one of the hardest hits, where nine people were killed.
One of those victims is Donna Fagersten, 66, a second grade teacher who lived in Indian Rocks Beach. Her close friends, Heather Anne Boles and Mike Moran, said she worked at Ponce De Leon Elementary school in Pinellas County.
"She was a school teacher, and she was actually going to retire next week," Boles said. "After 35 years of teaching, she was going to retire."
RELATED: 9 found dead in Pinellas County after Hurricane Helene: PCSO
Boles, who was one of her best friend's, said Fagersten had a love for teaching children, her two sons and her cat. She rode out the storm with Fagersten and tried to save her life when the storm surge caused dangerous flooding Thursday evening.
"This is obviously the worst we have ever, ever seen," said Boles, who was Fagersten's best friend.
Boles has lived in Indian Rocks Beach for 25 years, and she called Hurricane Helene one for the century.
READ: Homeowners affected by Hurricane Helene advised to file insurance claims ASAP
"We lost three trees with Irma, but we still had our house, we still had all our belongings, and we still had Donna," Boles said.
Pictured: Donna Fagersten
Boles and her family lost everything in the flooding – from furniture, to clothing, to sentimental possessions, but most importantly, her best friend. Fagersten lived on the water in Indian Rocks Beach, across the street from Boles’ mother.
As Helene barreled past the barrier islands in Pinellas County on Thursday evening, Boles and Moran made the quick decision to evacuate their home.
MORE: How you can help Hurricane Helene's devastated communities
"The water came up so fast," Moran said. "It maybe had 10 minutes, if that."
The couple left their home, as floodwaters quickly rose to the headlights of their jeep.
"We all went to my mom’s house and got on the third floor when the storm surge rushed in, and when it started to calm down, Donna wanted to go over and check on her cat," Boles said.
READ: Tampa's South West Shore neighborhood sees record storm surge from Helene
As dangerous levels of storm surge hammered the coastline, Moran said a neighbor came running upstairs.
"And said he saw somebody floating in the parking garage, so they pulled her up to the stairs, and Heather and Wayne started CPR," Moran said.
They tried to do CPR for almost an hour, and the floodwaters were so high at that point that fire rescue had to come by boat.
"But, there was nothing we could do," Moran said. "Losing one of your best friends is just devastating."
The couple is now trying to wrap their heads around so many different levels of loss. Boles said Fagersten was an integral part of their tight-knit community.
"She was always laughing and joking, for sure. She was a regular at Crabby Bill’s and at JD’s," she said. "Everybody down there knew her and loved her. When she walked in JD’s, her drink was ready and everybody knew her. It was like Cheers, ‘Hi Donna.’"
READ: Gov. DeSantis launches ‘Operation Blue Ridge’ to help rescue Floridians trapped in North Carolina
As Boles and Moran are forced to throw nearly everything they own out on the curb, they said Fagersten would’ve been right there with them to help.
"And I know there are others out here that lost their lives as well," Boles said. "Just pray for everybody right now."
Boles said Fagersten’s cat did survive, and her friends are working to find him a safe home.
Of the nine people who died during Hurricane Helene in Pinellas County, three of them lived in Indian Rocks Beach. Most of the other victims lived on other barrier islands.
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