PERRY, Fla. – Business owners in downtown Perry are boarding up their windows and putting sandbags outside as Hurricane Helene heads toward the Big Bend region of Florida.
News 6′s Erik Sandoval arrived in Perry Wednesday with photographer Megan Neeley and took these pictures.
“We’ve already seen the first squall lines come through here and they’re fast,” Sandoval said. “Before they hit, people came to this area earlier to prepare their businesses.
Firefighters were seen boarding up the glass door at Perry City Hall. Helene’s track currently puts Perry in the path of the hurricane’s center.
Many people in this area lived through Hurricane Idalia last year, and Hurricane Debby just a month ago. Still, the fire captain we talked to said he’s a little worried.
“I feel like they’re taking a little more serious,” said Capt. Ben Meacham with Perry Fire Department. “If there’s nothing binding them here just leave, that’s the hope, so we’ll see. Hopefully — hope the small town stubbornness won’t sit in too long.”
The city issued a curfew that starts at 8 p.m.
[RELATED: COUNTY-BY-COUNTY impacts | Watches vs. warnings | COUNTY-BY-COUNTY: Sandbag locations | Here’s what the ‘dirty side’ of a storm means | DOWNLOAD: WKMG-TV free hurricane app]
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