BRADENTON BEACH, Fla. — During the night of Hurricane Helene, Susie Chapman was terrified after several feet of water rushed through her house.

Chapman, who did not evacuate, is one of many Anna Maria Island residents that say they have never been hit this hard by a storm before.

“It was the most fearful thing I’ve ever gone through in my entire life,” she said. “Next thing I knew, I was hitting the side walls, the front wall, the back wall. And I’m thinking, ‘Oh my God.’ By that time, when I looked out the door, the water was too high to even escape in my car.”  

Her phone died, and she had no one around. She was alone with her two small dogs.

Chapman started waving and yelling for help, but no one answered.

“I slept on my wet bed the night of the storm and the night after because there was no help and I had no phone. It was terrifying,” she said.

She eventually made her way to her boyfriend’s house, where she is currently staying.  

“Shoes were floating everywhere. Things were rising. The water was coming up to the ground level. I thought, ‘Oh my God, I really thought this was it.’ That’s not how I want to go. I’m grateful to be alive,” she said.

After seeing the damage to her house and losing her belongings, Chapman’s in recovery mode, but thankful to be with her boyfriend and her two dogs, Wheezy and Sandy, by her side.

“I want to thank everybody who has come to my aid and helped look for me. God bless you all and thank you for caring. I love you,” she said.

Several crews are on the island, working to restore power.  

According to the city of Bradenton Beach, 90 to 95% of the city has been destroyed by Hurricane Helene and is considered a catastrophic area. 

There is still an active curfew from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.