Days after Hurricane Helene pummeled Tampa Bay's coastal communities with record-breaking storm surge, the region is in recovery mode. The big picture: It's safe to say Helene was the worst storm our region has experienced in a century,

Hurricane Helene inundated Tampa Bay with several feet of storm surge on its way to making landfall in Florida's Big Bend region.

With every passing hour since Hurricane Helene swiped Tampa Bay, a stark reality sharpens: We're at the beginning of a long road to recovery. State of play: Governments, organizations and industrious neighbors are working to provide immediate relief to storm survivors,

Tampa Bay residents are left picking up the pieces after Hurricane Helene caused significant damage to the area.

Helene did not directly hit the Bay Area, but an unprecedented storm surge produced by the hurricane devastated many of the coastal communities.