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

When a major hurricane hits, it is often the storm surge — the sea or gulf water driven ashore by winds — that poses the greatest threat to people’s lives and livelihoods. The storm surge that will accompany Hurricane Helene is expected to peak on Thursday night.

Hurricane Helene is expected to make landfall as a major hurricane Thursday evening, bringing a storm surge of 15 to 20 feet along Florida’s Big Bend.