What Eagles fans in Florida should know after Helene: beaches closed, roads blocked, utilities out
If you are headed to Tampa Bay for the Philadelphia Eagles game against the Buccaneers, lucky you. If you plan to spend a few extra days at the nearby beaches between Clearwater and St. Pete Beach, Hurricane Helene has left you not so lucky.
The Pinellas County beach communities that sit directly on the Gulf Coast are closed for business. All access is blocked and residents who are trying to clean up are being asked to leave for what could be up to a week.
Hurricane Helene destroyed parts of the infrastructure for bridges, roads, sewer, water and electricity on all of the Pinellas County barrier islands so there is no water, sewer or electricity.
Multiple CBS News Philadelphia reporters have spoken with Eagles fans who had to make sudden changes to their travel plans due to Helene including Craig Chenosky of the Green Legion, which arranges travel for Birds fans to attend away games.
Chenosky and others had to relocate from where they were staying in Clearwater Beach ahead of Helene's arrival.
"The alarm started sounding about 2:30, it was a real evac," Chenosky told Kerri Corrado. "They were not messing around."
He added that the Green Legion was lucky to find another hotel in Tampa and get there via Uber.
In addition to the utilities and infrastructure issues, the roads on the barrier islands are covered by up to a foot of sludge and sand with debris everywhere ranging from beach chairs to propane tanks to grounded boats.
Yes, boats. Many people did not tie their boats down before the storm and now they are high and dry in yards and on roads.
One big draw is the soft, cool sand of these beaches, but that was all washed away. In many spots, there is no beach left, just water lapping against seawalls where the beach was.
The bottom line is, that you should call ahead if you are planning to stay at a hotel, vacation rental, or resort on the Gulf Coast beaches, because you may need to put plan B into motion.
This was the worst storm surge for the Tampa/St. Petersburg area in more than 100 years with 5 to 8 feet of water flooding buildings and homes.
Enjoy that Florida weather if you are traveling there soon, and have a great time at the game if you are going. Go Eagles!