Residents of the booming region are confronting a new reality: Even when storms make landfall far away, their impact is being felt.

Tampa Bay area of Florida, particularly St. Petersburg, was hit hard by Hurricane Helene, which made landfall as a Category 4 storm Sept. 26, 2024.

This Florida man took channel surfing to a whole new level. Stunning home camera video captured Matt Heller paddling around his flooded Tampa living room in a kayak that he intended to use as an “escape plan” as Hurricane Helene’s historic storm surge “came out of nowhere.

Residents are returning to Treasure Island, a community of 6,500 in the Tampa region, to assess damages Helene caused after nearly every house on the island appeared flooded.