More than 60 people are dead after Hurricane Helene swept through the South and Southeast on Friday.As recovery efforts begin, those returning to New Hampshire from affected areas are sharing their experiences at Manchester-Boston Regional Airport.Laconia resident Steve Johnstone visited St. Paul Island in South Carolina when the storm hit. Johnstone said he felt the storm shake him and his family inside their beach house.”There were branches blowing off some of the palm trees, and a couple of shingles blew off the house we were on,” he says. “There was a river or creek right behind us, so the water was pretty rough there, too.”Milford resident Lori Francis had her travel plans changed while visiting Florida, the first state hit by the Category 4 hurricane.”We initially stayed in St. Pete,” Francis said. “We were there for a night, and we got evacuated out of that hotel, and by Wednesday morning, people were clearing out, and we went to Port Charlotte.”Stephanie Joseph from the Tampa Bay area traveled through Manchester to visit Vermont for leaf-peeping with her son, Braydon. While her apartment was spared from damage, she knows friends and family who were not as lucky. “Just pray for Florida and keep us in your thoughts,” Joseph said. “People have had their lives completely changed from this.”Other visitors came to New England to ensure their families’ safety. Drake Yon, a volunteer firefighter from Ridge Spring, South Carolina, said two residents were killed by falling trees, and two county firefighters died during rescue attempts.Yon heads back next week to help rebuild, leaving his wife and children safely in Maine with his in-laws. Despite the losses, Yon remains optimistic about the future.”The loss of life was saddening, but everything else is replaceable. It will be OK, but it’s going to take a little while to get there,” said Yon.
More than 60 people are dead after Hurricane Helene swept through the South and Southeast on Friday.
As recovery efforts begin, those returning to New Hampshire from affected areas are sharing their experiences at Manchester-Boston Regional Airport.
Laconia resident Steve Johnstone visited St. Paul Island in South Carolina when the storm hit. Johnstone said he felt the storm shake him and his family inside their beach house.
“There were branches blowing off some of the palm trees, and a couple of shingles blew off the house we were on,” he says. “There was a river or creek right behind us, so the water was pretty rough there, too.”
Milford resident Lori Francis had her travel plans changed while visiting Florida, the first state hit by the Category 4 hurricane.
“We initially stayed in St. Pete,” Francis said. “We were there for a night, and we got evacuated out of that hotel, and by Wednesday morning, people were clearing out, and we went to Port Charlotte.”
Stephanie Joseph from the Tampa Bay area traveled through Manchester to visit Vermont for leaf-peeping with her son, Braydon. While her apartment was spared from damage, she knows friends and family who were not as lucky.
“Just pray for Florida and keep us in your thoughts,” Joseph said. “People have had their lives completely changed from this.”
Other visitors came to New England to ensure their families’ safety.
Drake Yon, a volunteer firefighter from Ridge Spring, South Carolina, said two residents were killed by falling trees, and two county firefighters died during rescue attempts.
Yon heads back next week to help rebuild, leaving his wife and children safely in Maine with his in-laws.
Despite the losses, Yon remains optimistic about the future.
“The loss of life was saddening, but everything else is replaceable. It will be OK, but it’s going to take a little while to get there,” said Yon.
