‘Pray for the best:’ Lake City braces for Hurricane Helene

COLUMBIA COUNTY, Fla. — Neighbors in Lake City are bracing for impacts from Hurricane Helene.

It’s an area that saw plenty of damage from Hurricane Debby just last month.

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Next-door neighbors Sergio Padilla and Joe Haden were surveying some large trees near their homes when we came across them Wednesday afternoon.

While reporting on the damage Hurricane Debby brought to the area, our cameras captured how several downed trees knocked out power on their street for two days.

“When their trees fell down, it messed up the water system, and then of course it took out the electrical as well,” Haden said.

Columbia County Emergency Management Director Shayne Morgan warned Wednesday, that with heavy rainfall over the past few weeks, saturated grounds could increase the chances of downed trees.

RELATED: ‘Take this storm seriously:’ Columbia County prepares as Helene approaches

He also noted with Debby having rolled through the area only a month ago, some residents may still be in the process of recovering and are now facing a one-two-punch scenario due to Helene.

“There is a lot of damage to homes that may have not been repaired since Debby came through a month ago. So those are things we are looking at right now and there may be those pockets where the water still hasn’t totally receded,” Morgan said.

We even found one home that had sustained damage from Hurricane Idalia last year that still wasn’t fully repaired.

RELATED: Helene: Northeast Florida, Southeast Georgia school closure information

For Padilla and Haden, it’s too late to start tree trimming, so they’re just crossing their fingers their homes are spared.

“I mean, just kind of just pray for the best,” Padilla said.

Others in Lake City did take some preventative measures after Debby, but have found them stuck in their own precarious situations.

LIST: Events, businesses, government offices, parks closed ahead of Helene

After Hurricane Debby, Kenny Roder, a lifelong Lake City resident, noticed a leak in his roof.

His insurance wouldn’t cover a replacement, and even threatened to drop his policy.

So, he paid out of pocket for a roof replacement and managed to get a 30-day extension.

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But as of late Wednesday afternoon, the roof still wasn’t done, and the arrival of Helene’s high winds and rains were just hours away.

“It couldn’t be at a worse time,” Roder said.

Roder said workers planned to try and batten down the hatches to waterproof his home before the storm hits.

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But he’s still more concerned about Helene than he was Debby just one month ago.

“Because of the situation with my roof not being finished, of course, yes. But definitely they’re doing a good job getting it done. So, we’re just hoping for the best this year,” Roder said.

Action News Jax will be in Lake City all day Thursday bringing you the latest on the storm damage and recovery.

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