Residents of Siesta Key take stock of flooded homes and businesses just hours after up to seven feet of storm surge washed through the island.

Andy Sandberg, Artistic Director and CEO of the Hermitage Artists Retreat, could watch a live feed for Hurricane Helene’s storm surge overwhelm the six-acre historic campus at 6660 Manasota Key Road.

As residents sort through their water damaged belongings in their homes, the sand they find can be dropped off at sand recipient sites the county has opened, which will ultimately return the sand to the beaches.

Six coastal towns and cities on Florida’s Gulf Coast — which is especially vulnerable to storm-driven flooding — broke storm surge records during Hurricane Helene, according to data analyzed by The Post.

Storm surge is a bigger killer than wind when a major hurricane hits shore. The areas in the path of Hurricane Helene are more susceptible to surge than other parts of Florida's coast.

As Hurricane Helene approaches Florida's Big Bend coast, the National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a dire warning, calling the expected storm surge "unsurvivable." The rapidly intensifying storm is forecast to make landfall on Thursday evening as a Category 3 or stronger hurricane and evacuations have been ordered for several Florida counties.

The winds might have died down as Hurricane Helene dwindles, but dangerous storm surge and flooding rivers in Florida are still a concern.

Neighbors in hard-hit Siesta Key are dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Helene as they begin the recovery process.

The damage from Helene took some Sarasota residents by surprise. One family who decided to ride out the storm and wound up scrambling to save what they could. “First I want to give the glory to God; it could have been worse,