AUSTIN (KXAN) — When you hear the words hurricane or tropical storm you probably think of damaging winds, heavy rain, the eyewall, and flash flooding. However, storm surge is often overlooked as the most dangerous impact in a tropical system.

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.