TREASURE ISLAND, Sept 29, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Michael Ward -- who has lived on Treasure Island, off Florida's Gulf coast, for 33 years -- decided to ride out Hurricane Helene despite an order to evacuate. It was a decision he quickly regretted.

Instead of going with his wife to a friend's home inland, the 67-year-old Ward stayed put. As torrential rains led to flooding, he feared he would be electrocuted in his one-story home, but the storm surge prevented him from even opening his door.

Ultimately, he climbed out of a window to escape. Waist-deep in murky water, he walked about half a mile to a neighbor's two-story home, where he spent the night.

"I can't believe that it happened. I have lived in Florida for 44 years, and too many times, the news reports about these storms turn out to be wrong," Ward told AFP.

"I guess we ran out of luck."

Treasure Island is one of a series of barrier islands across from Saint Petersburg.

Late Thursday, Helene claimed one life in this city of 6,500 residents, mainly home to retirees and wealthy professionals. Overall, dozens were killed in the storm in the United States.

The storm surge reached nearly seven feet (2.1 meters). Sidewalks are covered in mud, and random objects unmoored by the flooding -- couches, beds, refrigerators and doors -- are scattered in front of homes.

- 'Devastating' -

Arthur Czyszczon, 42, walks in and out of Page Terrace, the beachfront hotel he operates with his family.

Mattresses, nightstands and lamps are piled up outside. Like many others, Czyszczon evacuated the island ahead of Helene, and is now taking stock of the damage.

"It's devastating to see your community go through this. The saltwater does just massive damage," Czyszczon said, wondering aloud how his neighbors might recover from the storm.

Most of the one-story homes in the area are uninhabitable, and many residents do not have flood insurance because it is too costly.

"It's going to take some time to get the restaurants back, to get homes and hotels repaired. It will take the community to come together and work together better than before the storm," the hotelier said.

For Czyszczon and the other residents of Treasure Island, the long road to recovery has begun, with myriad worries and doubts. Ward said those issues kept him awake on the night the storm hit.

"I was just thinking about all the work coming that I would have to do," he said.

- 'Nightmare' -

Next to the bridge that leads to Saint Petersburg, Ross Sanchez says he does not want to contemplate the future. Like dozens of others seen in Treasure Island, he is carrying plastic bags full of items and clothes he recovered from his home.

Local officials have barred vehicles from coming onto the island so they can finish their clean-up work. That means Sanchez and other residents must walk about 1.25 miles (two kilometers) in high heat to get to the mainland.

"I've lived here for close to 40 years and never seen something like this," says Sanchez.

"I just feel too many emotions. Just utter shock. My four-year-old's toys are gone, his crib -- everything is gone."

Nearby, 74-year-old Gary Potenziano struggles to push a cart loaded with everything he was able to salvage from his house.

"This is a nightmare," said his 68-year-old wife, Patty.

"Hopefully we're going to come back tomorrow morning to our place to work, because we've got so much to do. Everything in our house is totaled."