When Hurricane Helene battered Florida’s Gulf Coast this week, one of the hardest-hit areas was the small town of Steinhatchee, which was overwhelmed by a 10-foot storm surge and 140 mph winds. Most of the town’s 500 residents evacuated the area — and returned to find their homes and businesses destroyed.

At 11:10 pm on Thursday night, Category 4 Hurricane Helene made landfall in Perry, Florida. Perry is only 38 miles away from Steinhatchee, where Category 1 Debby came ashore last month, and 30 miles from Keaton Beach,