WAYCROSS, Ga. — A Waycross couple is counting their blessings Friday after several pine trees fell while Hurricane Helene swept through the city and Florida Thursday.
First Coast News spoke with Warren Glover who lives in the Cherokee Heights neighborhood of Waycross, the day before the major hurricane ravaged the area. The neighborhood he and his wife live in is known for large, tall trees.
Helene made landfall about 10 miles southwest of Perry, Fla., located in Florida's Big Bend region, at 11:10 p.m. Thursday. The Category 4 hurricane brought maximum sustained winds of 140 mph.
However, by the time the storm reached Waycross, it brought 71 mph wind gusts with it.
"After Hurricane Helene... power lines down, this tree in our yard is down, all four pine trees in our yard are down," Glover's wife said in a video capturing Helene's impact to their property. "God's mercy and his grace protected our home. Not one tree fell on our home. Not one tree fell on our vehicle. The tree fell eight feet in front of my vehicle."
Pine trees can grow to 100-feet tall, sometimes even taller, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The ones that toppled over in the Glovers' front yard were seen uprooted.
As for the couple's neighbors, trees were spotted on top of at least two homes close by.
"We got trees down that are across the street, on both sides of the street, to my right and all the way down the street to my left." Glover's wife said in the video.
"You couldn't get out no way," Glover also said in the video.
Waycross City Manager Ulysses D. Rayford told First Coast News the city will be under a mandatory curfew starting at 6 p.m. Friday.
