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Perry residents clean up after Hurricane Helene leaves destruction across Taylor County

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Published  September 27, 2024 9:06pm EDT
Hurricane Helene
FOX 35 Orlando

Perry residents clean up after Hurricane Helene

Hurricane Helene made landfall near Perry, Florida, late Thursday night as a Category 4 storm, leaving destruction in its wake. Some residents say they are thankful — and perhaps lucky — it wasn’t worse.

ORLANDO, Fla. - Hurricane Helene made landfall near Perry, Florida, late Thursday night as a Category 4 storm, leaving destruction in its wake. Some residents say they are thankful — and perhaps lucky — it wasn’t worse.

Perry, located about 10 miles from where the storm hit, saw significant damage. A FOX 35 News crew spotted a church roof tangled with a street sign a block away in downtown Perry. 

At a local motel, the ceiling collapsed in the reception area, but the managers, cleaning up today, were grateful to have escaped unharmed.

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As daylight broke, neighbors banded together to clear debris from downed tree limbs and power lines that blocked several streets.

Earl Swann, who weathered the storm in his 1906 home, described the stressful experience.

"My roof was leaking, and I had a towel and a bucket. After a while, I said to hell with it and went to lay down. It’s a lot of stress. Kind of like Vietnam," Swann said.

Helene marks Perry’s third hurricane in just 13 months, following Category 3 Idalia last August and Category 1 Debby this past August.

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