Residents of Anna Maria Island lost 'everything' to Hurricane Helene

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Anna Maria Island was hit hardest by the damage in Manatee County, and WFLA News Channel 8 was able to observe the damage on Holmes Beach with the Holmes Beach Police Chief.

Driving through Holmes Beach, a popular destination that many locals call home, is almost unrecognizable.

“It was shocking to arrive and see all the piles of sand, and to see how much emotion was stirred up by the rising waters. It’s shocking to see what happened,” resident Chad Bannick said.

Hurricane Helene: 11 dead in storm-related incidents in Tampa Bay

Even with the storm’s strongest winds 100 miles offshore, Helene’s eastern edge was still powerful enough to damage almost everything on Anna Maria Island.

The storm tore off doors and crushed furniture in this lounge inside a hotel complex.

“It’s not guest room 101 anymore, it’s a sandcastle,” said Holmes Beach Police Chief William Tokajer.

As Manatee County residents return home from Helene’s aftermath, they said the storm showed no mercy.

“You see it on TV, you see the piles of stuff in people’s yards, you’re devastated, you don’t think this will ever happen to you, and here it is,” said a Holmes Beach resident.

Parts of the Gulf are reduced to shreds. For some families, everything they owned is now gone.

“It’s serious, everything has been lost,” said resident Maria Vargas.

Holmes Beach residents, business owners allowed to return to Anna Maria Island

“The worst I’ve ever seen. We had sandbags over a foot high, and the water came up to 2 feet into our house and washed everything away,” a neighbor said.

Only residents are allowed on Anna Marie Island with the appropriate documents and identification.

A curfew is also in place from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

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