CLEARWATER, Fla. — Clearwater Beach won't be accessible "until further notice" after Hurricane Helene impacted the area with feet of storm surge, city officials said.
Several feet of water inundated the barrier island roads, businesses and homes on Clearwater Beach. While water levels are expected to recede, officials say a lot of debris will still be on the roads, making it unsafe to travel to and around the area.
The debris will need to be completely removed before Clearwater Beach will be reopened safely, the city said. The bridges to the barrier islands are still closed and until they reopen, no one will be allowed to access the beach.
City leaders say first responders late Thursday and early Friday made multiple high-water rescues of people from homes on the beach and mainland.
Hurricane Helene made landfall late Thursday as a strong Category 4 storm along Florida's Big Bend region. It downgraded to a tropical storm as of Friday morning. While Helene was more than 100 miles away from land as it passed the Tampa Bay area, the massive hurricane still brought feet of storm surge, strong winds and heavy rain.
Several storm surge records were broken as Helene impacted the area.
