United States - 27, 2024 In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene's ferocious landfall as a Category 4 storm, the U.S. Coast Guard has taken to the skies to survey the extent of the destruction left in its path along Florida's west coast.

The United States Coast Guard rescued a sailor and his dog stranded in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Florida as Hurricane Helene barreled its way toward land Thursday. The man and his pooch were aboard a 36-foot sailboat that “became disabled and began taking on water” Thursday afternoon,

Nearly 5,000 National Guard troops are in the southeast, working to provide rescue and relief efforts after Helene wrecked several states.