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.

While Central Florida was spared from destruction in the Big Bend, many residents were surprised by the flooding while the hurricane was hundreds of miles away.