HUDSON — About 2:15 p.m. Thursday, Pasco County officials received sobering news: Hurricane Helene’s storm surge could be higher than the National Weather Service projected, rising high enough to cross U.S. 19 in portions of New Port Richey and Hudson.
“Right now, it is forecasted between eight and 12 feet. But we just got an updated surge map — and it shows the surge a lot worse than what we were predicting,” Pasco County Emergency Management Director Andy Fossa said.
“I’ve worked for this county for 34 years, 19 as a fireman. And this is a scary situation for us, especially with the water like this. The last time I saw something similar to this was back in 1994 when the no-name storm came through here,” Fossa said.
“We had water up to U.S. 19, but the flooding is nowhere compared to what we're going to have this time,” he said.
Fossa said 54,600 Pasco County homes are located off the low-lying west side of the federal highway, where canal-front neighborhoods and marinas access the Gulf of Mexico. This shoreline extends between Tarpon Springs and Hernando Beach.
When Hurricane Idalia similarly swept by out in the Gulf in August 2023, Fossa said 5 feet to 7 feet of storm surge struck Pasco County, flooding about 5,000 homes. Regarding Helene, he had a blunt message for residents who live near the waterfront.
“If you are living on the west side of U.S. 19, evacuate. I'm not going to be able to say this too many more times: Our clock is ticking. Your clock is ticking. God forbid, that water comes in — and it's going to be a nighttime event,” Fossa said.
“It's going to come at a time and a point that rescue crews are not going to be able to get to you. You're going to be stuck in the house, probably with no power, no water. And you're going to be there until the water recedes, and hopefully we can get to you,” he said.
Across low-lying Hudson neighborhoods west of the highway, few people remained during the hours before Helene was expected to strike. Some residents stacked sandbags outside garage doors and front doors, while others taped tarps and plastic sheeting to lower portions of doors and vehicles.
Inn on the Gulf, a landmark Hudson hotel, will remain open a stone’s throw from the Gulf of Mexico while Hurricane Helene’s storm surge washes ashore, co-owner Mike Malacos vowed Thursday afternoon.
Malacos spoke minutes after checking a customer into an upper-level hotel room.
“This woman that just checked in, she has a regular-style house at ground level right on the water. She got a room. She’s going to be upstairs. So she won’t get flooded,” Malacos said, seated behind the hotel office counter.
“She’ll be safe. It’s a concrete building,” he said.
Inn on the Gulf overlooks a swimming beach, seawall, picnic tables and a pavilion at Robert J. Strickland Memorial Park — known as Hudson Beach by locals. Malacos has owned the hotel since 1998, and he shuttered the property’s seafood restaurant and bar for the incoming storm.
He also warned potential guests over the phone that Pasco County emergency personnel may not be able to access his hotel amid Helene’s storm surge.
“You never know. That’s the thing that’s killing me is the uncertainty. I’m worried about the flooding more than anything,” Malacos said, rapping his knuckles on the countertop for good luck.
He said previous storms during his ownership tenure generated flooding that reached the hotel sidewalk, but did not make it inside. He loaded his truck with sandbags to thwart floodwaters, in case Helene’s surge breaches portions of the building.
FLORIDA TODAY Space Reporter Rick Neale is on the Gulf Coast covering the impact of Hurricane Helene. Contact Neale at[email protected]. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1