Residents of Rochester recall Helene, from power disruptions to flash floods

Rochester, New York – Rob Ziegler and William Chase, who were born and raised in the Rochester region, talked about their experiences during Hurricane Helene, which hit the Florida Gulf Coast on Thursday night.

Rob Ziegler relocated to Raleigh, North Carolina, directly in the path of Hurricane Helene, from Rochester, New York.

“Ziegler stated that the rain was either coming down straight. “Sideways, in a variety of directions, with intense thunderstorms. Thus, lightning disappeared behind my complex every three to five seconds.”

Hurricane Helene, he added, brought threats of flash floods and winds of up to 60 miles per hour.

“I assumed they would show up,” Ziegler remarked. “I felt like my car was about to explode up when I was driving. Not at all. In contrast to, say, Asheville…”

There was a place in Asheville where cars were submerged under feet of floodwater.

William Chase, a resident of Phelps, New York, lost power for about 12 hours in the meantime, close to Orlando. Orlando felt the outer bands of the hurricane.

“Some debris remains,” stated Chase. “You know, things like that on people’s yards. However, we neglected to address the widespread floods.”

He was relieved they had not witnessed the worst.

“It wasn’t as bad here as it was very much on the coast,” stated Chase. “Not through Tallahassee and of the panhandle, Big Bend area of Florida, because they really got hit from what I’m seeing…”

The Atlantic Hurricane Season, which runs until the end of November, has eight named storms, including Helene. In five states, there have been at least 45 deaths.