ENGLEWOOD – Until the power went out, sometime around 8 p.m., last Thursday, Sept. 26, Andy Sandberg, Artistic Director and CEO of the Hermitage Artists Retreat, could watch a live feed for Hurricane Helene’s storm surge overwhelm the six-acre historic campus at 6660 Manasota Key Road.

Residents of Siesta Key take stock of flooded homes and businesses just hours after up to seven feet of storm surge washed through the island.

Six coastal towns and cities on Florida’s Gulf Coast — which is especially vulnerable to storm-driven flooding — broke storm surge records during Hurricane Helene, according to data analyzed by The Post.