Storm surge is a bigger killer than wind when a major hurricane hits shore. The areas in the path of Hurricane Helene are more susceptible to surge than other parts of Florida's coast.

Hurricane Helene produced a record storm surge from around the Tampa metro northward through Florida’s Big Bend. The surge level was estimated to have reached over 10 feet in Cedar Key and caused significant damage along the coast.

A raging river of Gulf of Mexico water ripped through the heart of Madeira Beach just minutes after deputes blocked access to Pinellas County’s barrier islands at 6 p.m. Thursday. It would be dusk by the time these densely populated islands would start facing the peak of Hurricane Helene’s storm surge,