Tallahassee faces the disadvantage of being the "tree city" after Helene

Hurricane Helene engulfed the Big Bend region with torrential rains, making landfall Thursday at 11 p.m. The strongest winds ever recorded in modern history lashed the city on a terrifying night for many who waited out the storm or were too nervous to sleep.

Within 30 minutes, James Quinn heard a loud sound.

A pine tree as tall as a building crashed into his two-story home on Ridgetop Drive in the Forest Heights and Holly Hills neighborhood. He and his wife were watching TV when they heard what sounded like a car crash.

“I’m just happy we weren’t hurt because … we’re literally standing under where that thing went down,” said Quinn, who has lived in Tallahassee all his life. “We had limbs fall off…but nothing ever hit the actual house.”

Quinn was one of many residents in the capital whose property was damaged by Helene, a deadly Category 4 storm that made landfall at 11:10 p.m., just east of the Aucilla River and about 10 miles west-southwest of Perry . The hurricane swept across much of Florida with flooding and damage, along with five deaths reported in Pinellas County, among others.

It was designed to be a direct hit to Tallahassee — a potentially devastating hit to a city covered in trees.

The storm, however, moved east and largely spared Tallahassee from what could have been the worst storm in the city’s history.

By Friday, much of Tallahassee seemed untouched by Helene’s wrath. Residents walked the paths and sidewalks, breathing fresh air like any other day. Others sunbathed by the pool or jumped into their cars to survey the damage.

Some neighborhoods showed minor signs of impact, such as downed basketball hoops and tree limbs.

One of the biggest impacts on residents was power outages where, for example, the city of Tallahassee reported more than 53,000 residents were without power Friday morning.

Trees piled on power lines throughout the city, including Centerville and Hartsfield roads. A large pine tree fell on power lines near Justin Niles’ home around 8:30 p.m. Thursday, less than three hours before Helene made landfall.

“I’m not surprised at all,” Niles said of the downed tree. “I thought more trees were going to fall. I’m glad this is the only one that fell like that and it fell the right way, but it took power for the whole neighborhood. That’s the only bad thing that’s really happened. from it.”

“How Lucky Can You Get”

Timothy Walters, operations manager for Miller’s Tree Service, said Tallahassee “was about as lucky as you can get.” As of 5 a.m. Friday, Walters said he had crews dispatched and ready to survey the damage.

Fortunately, he said, it could have been a lot worse. Miller’s had about 30 jobs to complete by the end of the day Friday, half of what Walters expected, although more was scheduled for the weekend.

“Honestly, with everything we’ve seen, it’s probably the best case scenario,” Walters said, adding how grateful he was but acknowledging the heavy impact on surrounding areas.

“This was the last thing I needed. This town has already been through enough stress in the last few months. I hate it for all the other guys. I’m glad we’re okay. .”

Contact economic development reporter TaMaryn Waters at [email protected] and follow @TaMarynWaters on X.

Piqueettrinque

Tallahassee faces the disadvantage of being the “tree city” after Helene

“How Lucky Can You Get”

Recent Posts

Social Media

Advertisement