1258 April 10, 2025 Helene’s Destruction In Big Bend

I walked on County Road 326 adjacent to the campground.  It was another lovely walking morning. 

We packed up and left by 9am.  We traveled through the town of Chiefland where we stopped for supplies and groceries.

We stopped again in the town of Steinhatchee.  As we drove, we could see more evidence of hurricane damage.  Piers and docks were destroyed.  Trees were snapped in half.  Roofs were missing and there was building material hanging in treetops.  We pulled over in a large lot and had our lunch. 

We arrived at Old Pavilion RV Park in Perry, Florida shortly after lunchtime.  This campground is in the Big Bend region in Tyler County.  Hurricane Helene hit here as a category 4 hurricane with 140mph winds.  We knew from speaking with the owner that this campground had only been reopened in the past several weeks.  The pier is missing here.  The man’s second story was ripped from his home.  The only reason that the house was still standing was because it was on 19-foot block pillars.  The storm surge here was 17 feet. 

We took a drive this evening and many homes and businesses were completely destroyed…wiped away…gone.

We took some pictures but they don’t convey the extent of the catastrophe.  It is six months after the storm and the wreckage and debris is still here.  There are full dumpsters and great piles of trash.  There was an ice machine washed up on the beach.  There is a DISH antenna in the surf.  Many homes are covered with blue tarps.  There is a toilet in the marina.

This boat was pushed up against the tree line more than ½ mile from the water.

These folks are tough and resilient and with determination and grit they are plowing through the bureaucracy and insurance and red tape and inspections necessary to rebuild their lives.  Some places are freshly painted and remodeled but they are not in the majority.  Seeing it firsthand left us without words…it is deeply disturbing and so very sad.  People have literally lost everything; taken by the wind and the sea.

Thousand of tiny crabs marching in their own parade.

We found this food truck and stopped to get dinner. We had amazing smoked ribs and I had broad beans cooked to pieces and Tim had collard greens.

This evening, we watched the sun kiss the water at 7:58pm from our site.