The United States Coast Guard rescued a man and his dog when their boat became disabled off the coast of the US state of Florida as Hurricane Helene barreled towards the land. The officials reported that the boat started taking on water 25 miles out to sea as Hurricane Helene approached the duo.
According to the statement of US Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater released on Friday (Sep 27) morning, the sailor and his dog were on a 36-foot-long sailboat on Thursday when the boat became disabled, leaving a man and his pet stranded in the ocean with no help around.
Authorities said, “Coast Guard crews responded to the boater’s distress call and rushed to the man’s location, approximately 25 miles offshore from Sanibel Island near Fort Myers.” They added, “A successful rescue attempt was made and the unidentified sailor and his dog were saved and brought back to land.”
Officials have not made any announcements regarding the reason for the man being out to sea even after warnings were issued in the area as Hurricane Helene was expected to make landfall.
Hurricane Helene landed in Florida’s Big Bend Region, marking a major Category 4 storm with 140 mph winds on Thursday night. The storm has touched down in Perry, Floria, located just east of the mouth of the Aucilla River.
According to powerouttages.us, Hurricane Helene has significantly impacted the electricity supply in and around Florida. More than one million people were without a power supply. The storm also caused power outages in the neighbouring southern states, with more than 46,000 people without electricity in Georgia and over 12,400 people without power supply in North Carolina.
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp said two people were killed during the storm’s passage into the US state overnight, raising the total death toll due to Hurricane Helene to three.
Kemp said that he and his family were “saddened to learn of the loss of two lives in Wheeler County this evening. As we join their families in mourning their deaths, we urge all Georgians to brace for further impact from Helene, remain vigilant and pray for all those affected.”
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said one person lost his life on the I-4 highway near Tampa when a sign fell on a car.
(With inputs from agencies)
