Colorado couple's home, belongings damaged after Helene; local first responders help with rescue efforts
On Friday, one Colorado family discovered parts of their Florida home were damaged and many of their belongings were destroyed during Hurricane Helene. Meanwhile, some Colorado first responders are now in Florida helping with rescue and recovery efforts.
At least 52 deaths have been attributed to Helene as of Saturday morning.
Bill and Paula Mooney left their Florida home in Treasure Island, about 10 miles west of St. Petersburg on the Gulf Coast, and went on a cruise ship vacation before the hurricane hit as a catastrophic Category 4. It was a trip they already had planned.
"We missed the worst of it, and we really thought we'd be okay," Paula said. "So we weren't really too concerned until it was time to be concerned."
"Being on a cruise was probably the best place to be," Bill added.
On Friday, boats were seen in front yards, after major flooding and storm surges impacted the area.
The two, still on the ship, got updates from neighbors who stayed behind. Their neighbors told them that many of their other neighbors had 5 feet or more of water inside their homes and had lost everything.
"The garages have flooded. The lobbies have flooded. Our boat is gone. I'm sure our car is gone," said Paula.
"The water rose very quickly," said Bill.
"It was was historic levels," Paula added.
Meanwhile, about 45 members of Colorado Task Force 1 deployed on Wednesday to help find and rescue people in the area. The Colorado-based team includes firefighters, paramedics and other responders.
"We travel with physicians, our canine handlers, our civilians, our structural specialists are often civilian staff," said Steve Aseltine, the task force leader for CO-TF1.
Aseltine said one day after the hurricane made landfall, crews had already started assessing the damage. Saturday, their work continues.
"Our teams are heading out at 4:30 a.m. and we'll start boots on the ground at 7 a.m. and then they'll be searching all day tomorrow," said Aseltine.
Aseltine has been deployed to emergencies more than a handful of times, helping many families in need.
"We feel for them. We feel for what they've lost and what they're going through," said Aseltine.
He hopes his team can do a small part in helping Florida families and those impacted.
"Hopefully we can give them a little bit of hope by being here by getting into their communities and really doing the work that we're really trained to do," said Aseltine.
Treasure Island officials are not allowing residents to return until the area is safe. Bill and Paula Mooney hope to return to their Florida home sometime next week to begin clean-up and making repairs.
"I think we're doing fine. All of those things can be repaired, they can be replaced, our health is good and we're safe," said Bill.