Most of the deaths thus far from Hurricane Helene were in the Tampa Bay area, where many residents did not heed evacuation orders on barrier islands.

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.

Hurricane Helene inundated Tampa Bay with several feet of storm surge on its way to making landfall in Florida's Big Bend region.