Amanda and her daughter braced for yet another Florida storm, adding to the countless hurricanes Amanda had endured since moving to the Sunshine State from California nearly 20 years ago. But this one was different. Hurricane Helene was more than a storm—it was a force of nature that tore across the Gulf, unleashing an unimaginable torrent of water upon the Southeastern U.S. When Helene turned everything upside down, Amanda’s family found themselves relying on the most unlikely of guides: mermaids that saved them from deadly waters.
The storm announced herself around 6 p.m., and Amanda knew immediately that Helene was unlike anything she’d experienced. Along with her daughter and their dog, Rocco, Amanda watched as water pooled on the patio. At first, it was just a nuisance, something to keep an eye on. But soon, water began to trickle through the doors, then surge like an invading tide, eventually creating a current within their apartment. Blankets floated across the living room within half an hour.
Urgency surged through Amanda. They hurriedly moved valuables to higher ground, but by 10 p.m., things went from dire to unimaginable as water levels rose from ankle-deep to waist-deep. In that moment, Amanda heard a loud crack—the power was out. A chilling darkness engulfed them as Amanda grabbed her daughter’s medications and hurriedly secured life vests on both of them.
“I’m not sure what was in the water, but it smelled rancid, like a mixture of red tide and raw sewage,” Amanda recalled. Outside, the floodwaters had reached the height of their street signs, obscuring any familiar landmarks. Just when they thought hope was slipping away, something miraculous happened. In the dark, through the murky waters, a light appeared—bioluminescence, a natural glow often occurring in marine life. The shimmering light illuminated Rocco, guiding them to the dog and shining a light on a path to safety.
Amanda’s daughter, enthralled by the mysterious glow, called them “mermaids,” and for Amanda, they might as well have been. She pushed her daughter and Rocco through a window via the path the bioluminescence had highlighted, and together, the family swam through the flooded streets, joined by fish they couldn’t see in the darkness of the night but could feel pushing against them while they swam.
After hours of uncertainty and struggling to find a place to rest for the night, Amanda and her daughter found temporary refuge in a Publix parking lot alongside about 30 others displaced by Helene. They didn’t exactly rest as you might imagine. The next morning around 6 am they returned to their apartment briefly to confirm that the worst was reality, nearly everything in their apartment was lost, and the stench of the flood water remained.
With FEMA’s support, they have since found a new apartment, but the memories linger. “My old apartment complex keeps calling and saying they’d love us back,” Amanda shared. “But neither my daughter nor my dog will go near that place.”
Amanda’s LSF Pinellas CMO family has enveloped her in love and support, from offering shelter to providing clothing and daily encouragement. “It’s made me see my clients’ struggles in a different light,” Amanda said. “When you’re left with nothing, it gives you a new compassion. It’s about people, not things.”
When news broke that Hurricane Milton would be making landfall nearby in a similar area less than two weeks after Helene, Amanda had no hesitation evacuating. She and her daughter joined a coworker and her family in Orlando to wait out Milton further inland.
Despite knowing they were safe where they were, Amanda admitted she found herself driving to a Publix near where they were staying in Orlando to find a moment to herself. Amanda sat in her car and cried. Storms like Helene leave an impact that is often unfathomable if you haven’t faced them yourself.
As Amanda, her daughter, and Rocco begin to rebuild, many in the LSF community are still searching for a new sense of normal after Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Though the storms have passed, their impact lingers, echoing in the hearts of countless Floridians.
Please consider supporting Florida residents in their journey to rebuild. The LSF Hurricane Relief Fund is urgently asking for your support to provide temporary and long-term housing for children and families forced to evacuate. Visit LSF’s Hurricane Relief Fund to learn more about how you can help.
