Hurricane Helene

Across Florida, landlord-tenant disputes are being exacerbated by disastrous storms like Hurricane Helene. Experts say state law tends to favor the landlords.

It's been almost a week since Hurricane Helene slammed into Florida, but recovery efforts are ramping up at a frenetic pace.

Estimated insured losses in Florida from Hurricane Helene jumped to nearly $657 million as of Oct. 1.

Hurricane Helene was big, strong and fast, making it a near-perfect storm to bring widespread death and destruction to the American South. The fast-moving Category 4 storm killed at least 64 people and potentially left thousands homeless.

More than 60 people were reported dead across the southeastern U.S. and millions were without power. Widespread flooding and landslides and cellular outages in western North Carolina impeded rescues.

People who chose to ride out Helene along Pinellas beaches described the fear they felt as water rushed through their streets and into their homes. It could take a long time for the barrier islands to recover.

State Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie implored people not involved in recovery efforts to stay off the roads as authorities conducted search-and-rescue efforts amid debris and dissipating storm surge.

Rescue and recovery efforts were underway Friday morning in North Florida’s Big Bend region and other areas of the state after the Category 4 Hurricane Helene made landfall Thursday night in Taylor County.

County emergency responders were expecting to find fatalities after a surge that reached 16 feet in some areas, significantly over the forecasted heights. Many coastal residents were caught off guard.

Danny Spears spent Thursday morning helping friends move produce and other goods out of Bo Lynn's Grocery in St. Marks, as powerful Hurricane Helene bore down on the Gulf Coast community about 20 miles south of Tallahassee.