As Hurricane Helene swept through Northern Florida, residents across the Big Bend area are grappling with widespread damage caused by a massive storm surge.

The surge could be 15 to 20 feet higher than normal tide levels, flooding dozens of communities along the Gulf Coast.

After days of brewing in the Gulf of Mexico, Hurricane Helene is slated to touch down along Florida’s Big Bend coast on Thursday evening as a Category 4 hurricane. The Florida Big Bend, a particular slice of the state’s northwestern coast where Florida’s panhandle region begins to curve around the Gulf of Mexico and transition into the state’s distinct peninsula,