Majority of Apalachicola residents evacuated before Hurricane Helene arrived

FRANKLIN COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) – Apalachicola resembled a ghost town early Thursday morning as the majority of residents and visitors were evacuated ahead of Hurricane Helene’s arrival.

A select few residents decided to wait out the storm, with some saying they had experienced this many times before.

“I’ve never had a really bad one, you know? I mean, I’ve been here my whole life, and I’ve never seen really terrible damage here in Apalachicola. So I’m just going to stay,” said Apalachicola resident Wallace Cumbie.

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“I’ve been through a lot, a lot, since the 85-foot hurricanes, and Michael, and all that. I left during Michael, but at that time of day with Michael, it was really bad,” said Apalachicola resident Greg Kembro.

For other residents, Hurricane Helene is their first encounter with a major storm.

“This is my first storm like this. It’s pretty exciting, it’s not good excitement, but I’m getting prepared as it goes along. There’s nothing I can do now but let it rain,” said Apalachicola resident Blake Thompson.

Everyone has different ideas about how they will pass the time when Helene visits.

“I get through it with my boss and a few colleagues. We’re all staying on higher ground and we’ve got the work trucks ready to go,” Thompson said.

“I’ll probably go to my church, Fellowship Baptist Church,” Cumbie said.

Some residents’ decision to stay has been influenced by the fact that work will be necessary and others will need assistance.

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“There will be work afterwards and I live in a safe place. I feel like I have confidence in my house and I’m on high ground. If I was in a low place, I would have left,” Thompson said.

And with a supply of food and water and gas in their cars, there’s only one thing left for these residents to do.

“The best thing I can say is that I don’t know what the future holds, but I know who holds the future, so God be with us,” Kembro said.

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