PERRY, Fla. – Residents in Perry, Florida are once again left to pick up the pieces after Hurricane Helene slammed into their town. It’s the third major storm to wreak havoc in just over a year.
As downed trees and power lines block roadways and businesses were left battered from the storm’s aftermath Friday morning, the small town in Taylor County finds itself at the epicenter of another natural disaster.
Homeowner David McLain told Local’s Saira Anwer that he evacuated with his family to Ocala ahead of the storm.
Returning the morning after Helene passed, McLain felt fortunate that his home had only minor damage.
“I got lucky with my house, just debris to pick up,” he said. “But coming into town, not everybody got lucky. The town’s a little bit of a mess.”
For McLain and others, this has become a troubling pattern.
In just 13 months, Perry has been hit by three significant storms: Idalia, Debby, and now Helene. Each time, residents find themselves scrambling to recover.
“This is becoming the epicenter for this now,” McLain said.
While some residents heeded the emergency evacuation orders issued for Taylor County, others chose to stay.
Perry resident Jamie Barnhardt was among those who decided to ride out the storm at home.
“I knew if I left, there’s no guarantee of coming back. I’d rather be here and see what happens,” she said.
Barnhardt and her family hunkered down in their house just off U.S. 27, directly in the path of Helene’s eye. She said the experience was terrifying.
“I felt like my house came up a little bit,” she said. “That was really scary.”
Despite the danger, her home survived the storm intact.
Outside, the damage is severe. A massive tree toppled right in front of Barnhardt’s home, and a nearby power line was knocked down.
First responders have flooded into Perry, working to assess the extent of the damage and restore order. Crews have been setting up generators to power traffic lights amid a countywide power outage, as local authorities work to clear the debris and restore basic services.
Businesses in the area have not fared as well as many homes. Stores along the main roads bore the brunt of the storm, with signs blown down, windows shattered, and rooftops torn apart.
As cleanup efforts began, local officials urged patience from residents as resources were stretched thin following back-to-back disasters.
Helene’s impact is particularly hard to swallow for a community still reeling from the effects of previous storms.
Hurricane Idalia, which struck Perry just last year, left many homes and businesses damaged, and the community was still in the process of rebuilding when Hurricane Debby arrived earlier this year. Now, with Helene, the task of recovery has grown even larger.
Despite the repeated setbacks, the people of Perry remain resilient. As crews clear the roads and restore power, neighbors are banding together to help each other clean up and rebuild.
Local charities and aid organizations have already begun mobilizing to provide food, water, and shelter to those in need, and volunteers from across the state are expected to arrive in the coming days to assist with recovery efforts.
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