Florida residents brace for Hurricane Helene

Denise O’Connor Badalamenti has seen countless hurricanes in her decades living in Florida, but Helene has her more on edge than ever before.

“I think this is going to be the one,” the 62-year-old told BBC News from her Bradenton home, which sits just a few streets from the water, as the storm moved closer to making landfall.

“I feel like we’re always in the cone of possibly being targeted but then get sparred at the last minute but I don’t think we’re going to lucky again.”

Her mother’s home has flooded six times over the years and this morning water was already creeping up their driveway. Her family has taped up all the doors shut, hoping to stop any flooding.

“This one is just massive. It’s scary,” Ms O’Connor Badalamenti said.

Following the guidance of emergency officials, she said has stockpiled supplies and has an assortment of food ready if they lose electricity.

“We’re ready for the worst.”

Michael Bobbit, a clam farmer on the island of Cedar Key on Florida’s Big Bend, said that some people in his community have decided to stay behind despite the warnings.

“The last several hours have really just been a frantic effort to beg people to leave,” Mr Bobbit, 48, told the BBC on Thursday, before the storm made landfall.

“Here in Florida, we sort of believe that we’ll just ride it out, it’s no big deal. But this is not one of those storms.”

He added that locals have been trying, “to sandbag as many buildings as we can”, as well as board up windows and get the island’s clam farms secured.

“The mood is sombre,” Mr Bobbit said.

“A lot of people when they’re leaving the island are hugging each other and crying, saying ‘I hope we have a home to go back to.'”