College student from Massachusetts rides out Hurricane Helene in Tampa, "Scary, no doubt"
TAMPA - The devastation from Hurricane Helene is hard to see on TV screens, but it's even more difficult if you are living it. One college student from Massachusetts rode out the storm in Florida and saw the devastation firsthand.
Been through 3 hurricanes
There are many Floridians who have become used to these types of storms, but that doesn't always prepare them for the worst.
You will find videos of flooding and damages all over Nick Beloff's phone. The University of Tampa senior has seen at least three hurricanes during his tenure.
"For me, as a college student from the Northeast, it's eye opening to see what these storms are capable of on just such a large scale," said Beloff.
While the other storms were impactful, Helene has been something new for him. He has seen the life saving rescues, raging flood waters, and storm surges that surround social media.
"This one in particular was scary, no doubt. The size of the storm was insane," told Beloff.
He hunkered down in his family's home in the Tampa neighborhood of Hyde Park. Their street had some flooding, but most of the damage was minor.
"It's crazy"
"After the storm had passed, I walked down what is called Bayshore...it's all over the news," explained Beloff. "The whole road and storm surge, I don't even know how many feet. Unlike anything I had really seen since I have been here. It was crazy."
He says the difference in geography is astounding. At his home it felt like a tropical storm, however 15 minutes away at Bayshore Boulevard, the winds were blowing him over.
The next morning, he and a buddy went to assess his friend's home in Dunedin. It's about 35 minutes east of Nick's home, and right in the path of the storm's damaging winds.
"It's not my house, and I think it even was for me really tough to just see," says Beloff.
The area was devastated. His friend's home had 4 feet of water inside. It took them six hours to rummage through the damage.
"Decide what to keep, what not to keep, what you can salvage, what you can't salvage, but being there for your friend is just as equally important," added Beloff.
