ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Hurricane Helene brought extreme winds and a record-breaking storm surge to the Tampa Bay area as it made landfall as a powerful Category 4 in the Big Bend region last week.
Fallen trees damaged homes and cars, and hundreds of calls for service came to different law enforcement and fire rescue agencies across our local counties.
As officials update the community about the storm's impact, 10 Tampa Bay is keeping track of those who lost their lives.
On Wednesday, Oct. 2, the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office shared updated numbers on storm-related deaths. A total of 12 people were confirmed to have died:
- Margaret McGarigle, 94, of Treasure Island
- Dominic Dewitt, 60, of Indian Rocks Beach
- Joseph Galinski, 68, of St. Pete Beach
- Steven Boelsche, 95, of Pinellas Park
- Donna Fagersten, 66, of Indian Rocks Beach
- Patricia Mikos, 80, of Dunedin
- Aiden Bowles, 71, of Indian Rocks Beach
- Marjorie Havard, 79, of St. Pete Beach
- Francis Wright, 71, of Madeira Beach
- Jerome Waite, 89, of St. Petersburg
- James Thompson, 55, of Redington Shores
- Rachel Burch, 37, of Treasure Island
At least nine of those deaths were cases where it appeared water got into the home and the victim drowned, according to the agency.
Last week, city officials in Tampa said that two people in their jurisdiction passed away during Hurricane Helene. One of them was a 23-year-old passenger riding in a minivan when a freeway sign fell on top of the car, killing them. There were others in the car at the time, who all made it out unharmed.
Hillsborough County leaders previously stated that none of their rescue efforts included any deaths in their jurisdiction.
This story will be updated if more deaths are attributed to Hurricane Helene.